Abraham

Someone who had escaped came and told Avram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Emori, brother of Eshkol and brother of 'Aner; all of them allies of Avram.

When Avram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, who had been born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

so he blessed him with these words: "Blessed be Avram by El 'Elyon, maker of heaven of earth.

The king of S'dom said to Avram, "Give me the people, and keep the goods for yourself."

But Avram answered the king of S'dom, "I have raised my hand in an oath to ADONAI, El 'Elyon, maker of heaven and earth,

that I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal thong of anything that is yours; so that you won't be able to say, 'I made Avram rich.'

Some time later the word of ADONAI came to Avram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Avram. I am your protector; your reward will be very great."

Avram replied, "ADONAI, God, what good will your gifts be to me if I continue childless; and Eli'ezer from Dammesek inherits my possessions?

You haven't given me a child," Avram continued, "so someone born in my house will be my heir."

Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Avram drove them away.

As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell on Avram; horror and great darkness came over him.

ADONAI said to Avram, "Know this for certain: your descendants will be foreigners in a land that is not theirs. They will be slaves and held in oppression there four hundred years.

That day ADONAI made a covenant with Avram: "I have given this land to your descendants - from the Vadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River -

Now Sarai Avram's wife had not borne him a child. But she had an Egyptian slave-girl named Hagar;

so Sarai said to Avram, "Here now, ADONAI has kept me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. Maybe I'll be able to have children through her."Avram listened to what Sarai said.

It was after Avram had lived ten years in the land of Kena'an that Sarai Avram's wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to Avram her husband to be his wife.

Sarai said to Avram, "This outrage being done to me is your fault! True, I gave my slave-girl to you to sleep with; but when she saw that she was pregnant, she began holding me in contempt. May ADONAI decide who is right - I or you!"

However, Avram answered Sarai, "Look, she's your slave-girl. Deal with her as you think fit."Then Sarai treated her so harshly that she ran away from her.

Hagar bore Avram a son, and Avram called the son whom Hagar had borne Yishma'el.

Avram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Yishma'el to Avram.

When Avram was 99 years old ADONAI appeared to Avram and said to him, "I am El Shaddai [God Almighty]. Walk in my presence and be pure-hearted.

Avram fell on his face, and God continued speaking with him:

Your name will no longer be Avram [exalted father], but your name will be Avraham [father of many], because I have made you the father of many nations.

God said to Avraham, "As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.

God said to Avraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai [mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess].