6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead, it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

m

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now " Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 Therefore Sarah Plaughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them "to bring them on the

for the men of Sodom.

19 For I know him, y that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

b

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

23 ¶ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

24 & Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

26 And the LORD said, * If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake..

30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the

a ch. 11. 5. Ex. 3. 8. b Deut. 8. 2. & 13. 3. Josh. 2 Cor. 11. 11.

James 5. 4. Luke 16. 15.

f Num. 16. 22. 2 Sam. 24. 17.

19. 13. 22. 22. 10. 22. 3. 10, 11. i Job 8. 3. & 34. 17. Ps. 58. 11. & 94. 2. 6.1. Ez. 22. 30. 1 Luke 18. 1. m ch. 3. 19.

c ch. 19. 1.

d ver. 1.

g Jer. 5. 1.

1 Cor. 15. 47, 48. 2 Cor. 5. 1.

e Heb. h Job 8. 20. Is. Rom. 3. 6. k Jer Job 4. 19. Ecc. 12. 7.

He is sent out of Sodom

in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,

7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; " for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

m

n

9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.

10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.

11 And they smote the men P that were at the door of the house with blindness,

even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

themselves to find the door.

12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

8

14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, "Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.

15 ¶ And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

1

2

m See ch. 18. 5.

Acts 13. 11.

t Matt. 1. 18.

c Heb. 13. 2. d ch. 18. 4.

h Judg. 19. 22. i ch.

1 See Judg. 19. 24.

y Num. 16. 24,

n 2 Pet. 2. 7. 8.

q ch. 7. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 7, u Num. 16. 21, 45.

26. Rev. 18. 4.

9.

o Ex. 2. 14.

r ch. 18. 20.

x Ex. 9. 21. Heb. are found.

p See 2 Kings 6. 18. s 1 Chr. 21. 15: Luke 17. 28. & 24. 11. 2 Or, punishment.

19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

e

21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.

22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore & the name of the city was called Zoar.

23 The sun was 'risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

k

Deut. 9. 14. Mark 6, 5. Heb. gone forth.

Heb. thy face.

g ch. 13. 10. & h Deut. 29. 23.

b 1 Kings 19. 3. c ver. d Acts 10. 14. f See ch. 32. 25, 26. Ex. 14. 2. That is. Little, Is. 13. 19. Jer. 20. 16. &

31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth P to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we 4 may preserve seed of our father.

33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.

35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.

36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

S

38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Abraham sojourneth at Gerar, 2 and denieth his wife. 3 Abimelech taking her is reproved in a dream. 9 He rebuketh Abraham, 14, restoreth Sarah, 16, and reproveth her.

of Abraham, he is healed. [B. c. 1898.]

Abimelech and Abraha

What sawest thou, that thou hast done th thing?

t

AND Abraham journeyed from thence

b

toward the south country, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

m

7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; a for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, P and all that are thine.

13 And it came to pass, when G caused me to wander from my fathe house, that I said unto her, This is t kindness which thou shalt show unto m at every place whither we shall come, y s of me, He is my brother.

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxe and menservants, and womenservants, an gave them unto Abraham, and restored hi Sarah his wife.

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, an land is before thee: dwell 3where it please thee.

16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, have given thy brother a thousand pie of silver: behold, he is to thee a coveri of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, a with all other: thus she was reproved.

17 So Abraham prayed unto God: a God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and maidservants; and they bare children.

18 For the LORD fhad fast closed up the wombs of the house of Abimelec because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

CHAPTER XXI.

6 Sarah's joy. 9 Ho and Ishmael are east forth. 15 Hagar in distress. 17 angel comforteth her. 22 Abimelech's covenant with Abrah at Beer-sheba. [B. C. 1898.]

ND