PART II
THE PATRIARCH ABRAHAM
Now after eight generations raised out of Sem there was born a
descendent called Thare,
and Abram, Nahor, and Aran were three sons that his wife to him
did bear.
And Aran became the father of Lot, but Aran died before his father
in Ur.
Abram took Sarai and made her his wife, but she was barren;
no children were hers.
And Nahor took as his wife Melcha who was herself the daughter
of Aran
who was also the father of Jescha, of Sarai. Thare took his son
Abram and his grandson Lot, Aran's son, and Sarai, and led them
from Ur,
toward the land of Chanaan, but reaching Haran, they stopped
and they all settled there.
ABRAM'S CALL
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Lord said to Abram, "Leave behind your country, your kinsfolk,
your father's house, too,
for the land I will show you; for I shall make a great nation to spring
forth from you.
I will bless you and make your name great on earth so that a blessing
you shall be.
I will bless them who bless you and curse them who curse you. All
nations shall be blessed in thee."
Abram went away as the Lord had bid and Lot went with him, as well
as Sarai, his wife, and all property they had acquired while they
did dwell
in Haran. And they departed from Chanaan, and when they came
into that land,
Abram passed through the sacred place at Sichem with the tenebirth
at More near at hand.
The Chanaanite was in the land at that time, but to Abram the Lord
appeared and revealed,
"To you and your descendants I will give this land." So an altar
to the Lord he did build
there, and then moved to the mountain region east of Bethel,
and pitched his tent,
built an altar and called on the name of the Lord, and then on toward
the Negeb he went.
ABRAM IN EGYPT DURING THE FAMINE
Now, there was a famine in the land and down to Egypt did Abram go
where he lived as a stranger, for the famine was severe, and he said
to Sarai, "I know
that you are a woman beautiful to behold. When the Egyptians see you,
they will say
'She is his wife,' and they'll kill me but spare you; therefore, you will say
that you are my sister, so I may be dealt with well, and my life
will be saved."
When Abram came to Egypt, they praised her beauty; even to Pharaoh
they raved.
And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house. On account of her,
he treated Abram well
and he received flocks and herds and animals and many servants,
where he did dwell.
But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with great plagues
because of Sarai.
The Pharaoh summoned Abram to him and said, "Thou has done this
to me. Why
did you not tell me she was your wife? I would not have married her
did I know
she was not your sister. Here is your wife. Take her then and go."
And then Pharaoh gave orders to his men concerning Abram;
and then they
took him and his wife and what belonged to them and made them
to go away.
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