The Birth of Isaac
1 The Lord kvisited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah las he had promised. 2 And Sarah mconceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age nat the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, oIsaac.1 4 And Abraham pcircumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, qas God had commanded him. 5 rAbraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, s“God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? tYet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
God Protects Hagar and Ishmael
8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah usaw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, vlaughing.2 10 So she said to Abraham, w“Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for xthrough Isaac shall your offspring be named. 13 And I will make ya nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of zBeersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then aGod opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness band became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
A Treaty with Abimelech
22 At that time cAbimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, d“God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but eas I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants fhad seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men gmade a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this3 may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore hthat place was called Beersheba,4 because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and icalled there on the name of the Lord, jthe Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
1 After these things kGod tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to lthe land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy5 will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and mlaid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, n“God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and olaid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, p“Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for qnow I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, r“The Lord will provide”;6 as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”7
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, s“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring tas the stars of heaven and uas the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess vthe gate of his8 enemies, 18 and win your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, xbecause you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to yBeersheba. And Abraham lived at yBeersheba.
20 Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, zMilcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 aUz his firstborn, bBuz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (cBethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Sarah’s Death and Burial
1 Sarah lived 127 years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died at dKiriath-arba (that is, eHebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites,9 4 f“I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; ggive me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God10 among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” 7 Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 And he said to them, “If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”
10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who hwent in at the gate of his city, 11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “But if you will, hear me: I give the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” 14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred ishekels11 of silver, what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham jweighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
17 So kthe field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 The field and the cave that is in it lwere made over to Abraham as property for a burying place by the Hittites.
Book Five
Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So
1 gOh give thanks to the Lord, hfor he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let ithe redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has jredeemed from trouble1
3 and kgathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some lwandered in desert wastes,
finding no way mto a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul nfainted within them.
6 Then they ocried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by pa straight way
till they reached ma city to dwell in.
8 qLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he rsatisfies the longing soul,
sand the hungry soul he fills with good things.
10 tSome sat in darkness and in uthe shadow of death,
prisoners in vaffliction and in irons,
11 for they whad rebelled against the words of God,
and xspurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, ywith none to help.
13 zThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of adarkness and the shadow of death,
and bburst their bonds apart.
15 cLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he dshatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were efools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 fthey loathed any kind of food,
and they gdrew near to hthe gates of death.
19 iThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He jsent out his word and khealed them,
and ldelivered them from their destruction.
21 mLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them noffer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
23 Some qwent down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he rcommanded and sraised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage tmelted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and ustaggered like drunken men
and vwere at their wits’ end.2
28 wThen they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He xmade the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters3 were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 yLet them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them zextol him in athe congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He bturns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 ca fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He dturns a desert into pools of water,
ea parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish fa city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 gBy his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 hhe pours contempt on princes
and imakes them wander jin trackless wastes;
41 but khe raises up the needy out of affliction
and lmakes their families like flocks.
42 mThe upright see it and are glad,
and nall wickedness shuts its mouth.
43 oWhoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
1 lIn those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, 2 m“I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these people with bread here in this desolate place?” 5 And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, n“Seven.” 6 And he directed the crowd to sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves, and ohaving given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish. And phaving blessed them, he said that these also should be set before them. 8 And qthey ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, nseven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into rthe boat with his disciples and went to the district of sDalmanutha.1
The Pharisees Demand a Sign
11 tThe Pharisees came and began to argue with him, useeking from him va sign from heaven wto test him. 12 And xhe sighed deeply yin his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And zhe left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
The Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod
14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; abeware of bthe leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of cHerod.”2 16 And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And dJesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? eDo you not yet perceive for understand? fAre your hearts hardened? 18 gHaving eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke hthe five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And ithe seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 And they came jto Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23 And khe took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when khe had lspit on his eyes and mlaid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus3 laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 And he sent him to his home, saying, n“Do not even enter the village.”
Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ
27 oAnd Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, p“John the Baptist; and others say, qElijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, r“You are sthe Christ.” 30 tAnd he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
31 uAnd he began to teach them that vthe Son of Man must wsuffer many things and xbe rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and yafter three days rise again. 32 And he said this zplainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, a“Get behind me, Satan! For you bare not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him cdeny himself and dtake up his cross and follow me. 35 For dwhoever would save his life4 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake eand the gospel’s will save it. 36 fFor what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For gwhat can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For hwhoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this iadulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed jwhen he comes in the glory of his Father with kthe holy angels.”
