Bible Verses About Patriarchal Government

And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts upon the altar.

He said: Cursed be Chanaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

And he said: Blessed be the Lord God of Sem, be Chanaan his servant.

And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him: To thy seed will I give this land. And he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

And passing on from thence to a mountain, that was on the east side of Bethel, he there pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: he built there also an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name.

And Lot also, the son of Abram's brother, who dwelt in Sodom, and his substance.

And behold one, that had escaped, told Abram the Hebrew, who dwelt in the vale of Mambre the Amorrhite, the brother of Escol, and the brother of Aner: for these had made a league with Abram.

Which when Abram had heard, to wit, that his brother Lot was taken, he numbered of the servants born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, well appointed: and pursued them to Dan.

And dividing his company, he rushed upon them in the night, and defeated them: and pursued them as far as Hoba, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

And he brought back all the substance, and Lot his brother, with his substance, the women also, and the people.

For I know that he will command his children, and his household after him, to keep the way of the Lord, and do judgment and justice: that for Abraham's sake, the Lord may bring to effect all the things he hath spoken unto him.

So Abraham rose up in the morning, and taking bread and a bottle of water, put it upon her shoulder, and delivered the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee.

At the same time Abimelech, and Phicol the general of his army, said to Abraham: God is with thee in all that thou dost.

Swear therefore by God, that thou wilt not hurt me, nor my posterity, nor my stock: but according to the kindness that I have done to thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the land wherein thou hast lived a stranger.

And Abraham said: I will swear.

And he reproved Abimelech for a well of water, which his servants had taken away by force.

And Abimelech answered: I knew not who did this thing: and thou didst not tell me, and I heard not of it till today.

Then Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech: and both of them made a league.

And Abraham set apart seven ewelambs of the flock.

And Abimelech said to him: What mean these seven ewelambs which thou hast set apart?

But he said: Thou shalt take seven ewelambs at my hand: that they may be a testimony for me, that I dug this well.

Therefore that place was called Bersabee; because there both of them did swear.

And they made a league for the well of oath.

My lord, hear us, thou art a prince of God among us: bury thy dead in our principal sepulchres: and no man shall have power to hinder thee from burying thy dead in his sepulchre.

And they answered: We saw that the Lord is with thee, and therefore we said: Let there be an oath between us, and let us make a covenant,