Part 4

And there came two angels to Sodom at even. And Lot sat at the gate of the city. And Lot saw them, and rose up against {to meet} them, and he bowed himself to the ground with his face. And he said: See lords, turn in I pray you in to your servant's house and tarry all night and wash your feet, and rise up early and go on your ways. And they said: nay, but we will bide in the streets all night. And he compelled them exceedingly. And they turned in unto him and entered into his house, and he made them a feast and did bake sweet cakes, and they ate. But before they went to rest, the men of the city of Sodom compassed the house round about both old and young, all the people from all quarters. And they called unto Lot and said unto him: where are the men which came into thy house to night? bring them out unto us that we may do our lust with them. And Lot went out at doors unto them and shut the door after him and said: nay for god's {goddes} sake brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold I have two daughters which have known no man, them will I bring out unto you: do with them as it seemeth you good: Only unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. And they said: come hither. And they said: camest thou not in to sojourn, and wilt thou be now a judge? we will surely deal worse with thee than with them. And as they preased sore upon Lot and began to break up the door, the men put forth their hands and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut to the door. And the men that were at the door of the house, they smote with blindness both small and great: so that they could not find the door. And the men said moreover unto Lot: If thou have yet here any son-in-law or sons or daughters or whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring it out of this place: for we must destroy this place, because the cry of them is great before the LORD. Wherefore he hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out and spake unto his sons-in-law which should have married his daughters, and said: stond up and get yow out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city. But he seemed as though he had mocked, unto his sons-in-law. And as the morning arose the angels caused Lot to speed him saying. Stond up, take thy wife and thy two daughters and that that is at hand, lest thou perish in the sin of the city. And as he prolonged the time, the men caught both him, his wife and his two daughters by the hands, because the LORD was merciful unto him, and they brought him forth and set him without the city. When they had brought them out, they said: Save thy life and look not behind thee neither tarry thou in any place of the country, but save thyself in the mountain, lest thou perish. Then said Lot unto them: Oh nay my Lord: {lorde} behold, inasmuch as thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, now make thy mercy great which thou shewest unto me in saving my life. For I can not save myself in the mountains, lest some misfortune fall upon me and I die. Behold, here is a city by, to flee unto, and it is a little one, let me save myself therein: is it not a little one, that my soul may live? And he said to him: see I have received thy request as concerning this thing, that I will not overthrow this city for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, and save thyself there, for I can do nothing till thou be come in thither. And therefore the name of the city is called Zoar. And the sun was upon the earth when Lot was entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and Gomorra, brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven, and overthrew those cities and all the region, and all that dwelled in the cities, and that that grew upon the earth. And Lot's wife looked behind her, and was turned in to a pillar of salt. Abraham rose up early and got him to the place where he stood before the LORD, and looked toward Sodom and Gomorra and toward all the land of that country. And as he looked: behold, the smoke of the country arose as it had been the smoke of a furnace. But yet when God destroyed the cities of the region, he thought upon Abraha: and sent Lot out from the danger of the overthrowing, when he overthrew the cities where Lot dwelled. And Lot departed out of Zoar and dwelled in the mountains and his two daughters with him for he feared to tarry in Zoar: he dwelt therefore in a cave, both he and his two daughters also. Then said the elder unto the younger our father is old, and there are no more men in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the world. Come therefore, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie with him that we may save seed of our father. And they gave their father wine to drink that same night. And the elder daughter went and lay with her father. And he perceived it not, neither when she lay down, neither when she rose up. And on the morrow the elder said unto the younger: behold, yesternight lay I with my father. Let us give him wine to drink this night also, and go thou and lie with him, and let us save seed of our father. And they gave their father wine to drink that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him. And he perceived it not: neither when she lay down, neither when she rose up. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the elder bare a son and called him Moab, which is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger bare a son and called him Ben Ammi, which is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

Chapter .xx.

And Abraham departed thence toward the south country and dwelled between Cades and Sur and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sara his wife, that she was his sister. Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent and fetched Sara away. And God came to Abimelech by night in a dream and said to him: See, thou art but a dead man for the woman's sake which thou hast taken away, for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not yet come nye her, and therefore said: Lord {lorde} wilt thou slay righteous people? said not he unto me, that she was his sister? yea and said not she herself that he was her brother? with a pure heart and innocent hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream. I wot it well that thou didst it in the pureness of thy heart: And therefore I kept thee that thou shouldest not sin against me, neither suffered I thee to come nigh her. Now therefore deliver the man his wife again, for he is a prophet. And let him pray for thee that thou mayst live. But and if thou deliver her not again, be sure that thou shalt die the death, with all that thou hast. Then Abimelech rose up be times in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears, and the men were sore afraid. And Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him: What hast thou done unto us, and what have I offended thee, that thou shouldest bring on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said moreover unto Abraham: What sawest thou that moved thee to do this thing? And Abraham answered. I thought that peradventure the fear of God was not in this place, and that they should slay me for my wife's sake: yet in very deed she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not of my mother: and became my wife. And after God caused me to wander out of my father's house, I said unto her: This kindness shalt thou shew unto me in all places where we come, that thou say of me, how that I am thy brother. Then took Abimelech sheep and oxen, menservants and womenservants and gave them unto Abraham, and delivered him Sara his wife again. And Abimelech said: behold the land lieth before thee, dwell where it pleaseth thee best. And unto Sara he said: See I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver, behold he {this thing} shall be a covering to thine eyes unto all that are with thee and unto all men and an excuse. And so Abraham prayed unto God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidens, so that they bare. For the LORD had closed to, all the matrices of the house of Abimelech, because of Sara Abraham's wife.

Chapter .xxj.

The lord visited Sara as he had said and did unto her according as he had spoken. {promised} And Sara was with child and bare Abraham a son in his old age even the same season which the Lorde {|God|} had appointed. And Abraham called his son's name that was born unto him which Sara bare him Isaac: and Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God commanded him. And Abraham was an hundred year old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. And Sara said: God hath made me a laughing stock: for all that hear, will laugh at me. She said also: who would have said unto Abraham, that Sara should have given children suck, or that I should have borne him a son in his old age: The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast, the same day that Isaac was weaned. Sara saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian which she had borne unto Abraham, a mocking. Then she said unto Abraham: put away this bondmaid and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac: But the word seemed very grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son. Then the Lorde {|God|} said unto Abraham: let it not be grievous unto thee, because of the lad and of thy bondmaid: But in all that Sara hath said unto thee, hear her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Moreover of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle with water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulders with the lad also, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered up and down in the wilderness of Berseba. When the water was spent that was in the bottle, she cast the lad under a bush and went and sat her out of sight a great way, as it were a bowshot off: For she said: I will not see the lad die. And she sat down out of sight, and lift up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the child. And the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven and said unto her: What aileth thee Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the child where he lieth. Arise and lift up the lad, and take him in thy hand, for I will make of him a great people. And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pharan. And his mother got him a wife out of thee, land of Egypt. And it chanced the same season, that Abimelech and Phicol his chief captain spake unto Abraham saying: God is with thee in all that thou doest. Now therefore swear unto me even here by God, that thou wilt not hurt me nor my children, nor my children's children. But that thou shalt deal with me and the country where thou art a stranger, according unto the kindness that I have shewed thee. Then said Abraham: I will swear. And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had taken away. And Abimelech answered I wist not who did it: Also thou toldest me not, neither heard I of it, but this day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech. And they made both of them a bond together. And Abraham set seven lambs by them selves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham: what mean these seven lambs which thou hast set by them selves. And he answered: seven lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well: Wherefore the place is called Berseba, because they sware both of them. Thus made they a bond together at Berseba. Then Abimelech and Phicol his chief Captain rose up and turned again unto the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a wood in Berseba, and called there, on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God: and dwelt in the Philistine land a long season.

Chapter .xxij.

After these deeds, God did prove Abraham and said unto him: Abraham. And he answered: here am I. And he said: take thy only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee unto the land of Moria, and sacrifice him there for a sacrifice upon one of the mountains which I will shew thee. Then Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his meiny with him, and Isaac his sonne: and clove wood for the sacrifice, and rose up and got him to the place which God had appointed him. The third day Abraham lift up his eyes and saw the place afar off, and said unto his young men: bide here with the ass. I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again unto you. And Abraham took the wood of the sacrifice and laid it upon Isaac his son, and took fire in his hand and a knife. And they went both of them together. Then spake Isaac unto Abraham his father and said: My father? And he answered here am I my son. And he said: See here is fire and wood, but where is the sheep for sacrifice? And Abraham said: my son, God will provide him a sheep for sacrifice. So went they both together. And when they came unto the place which God shewed him, Abraham made an altar there and dressed the wood, and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, above upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to have killed his son. Then the angel of the LORD called unto him from heaven saying: Abraham, Abraham?. And he answered: here am I. And he said: lay not thy hands upon the child, neither do anything at all unto him, for now I know that thou fearest God, in that thou hast not kept thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked about: and behold, there was a ram caught by the horns in a thicket. And he went and took the ram and offered him up for a sacrifice in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, the LORD will see: wherefore it is a common saying this day: in the mount will the LORD be seen. And the angel of the LORD cried unto Abraham from heaven the second time saying: by myself have I sworn (saith the LORD) because thou hast done this thing and hast not spared thy only son, that I will bless thee and multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand upon the sea side. And thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice. So turned Abraham again unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Berseba. And Abraham dwelt at Berseba. And it chanced after these things, that one told Abraham saying: Behold, Milcha she hath also born children unto thy brother Nachor: Hus his eldest son and Bus his brother, and Kemuel the father of the Sirians, and Cesed, and Haso, and Pildas, and Iedlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rebecca. These eight did Milcha bear to Nachor Abraham's brother. And his concubine called Rheuma she bare also Tebah, Gaham, Thaas and Maacha.

Chapter .xxiij.

Sara was an hundred and twenty seven years old (for so long lived she) and then died in a head city called Hebron in the land of Canaan. Then Abraham came to mourn Sara and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from the corpse, and talked with the sons of Heth saying: I am a stranger and a foreigner among yow, give me a possession to bury in with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight. And the children of Heth answered Abraham saying unto him: Hear us lord, thou art a prince of God among us. In the chiefest of our sepulchers bury thy dead: None of us shall forbid thee his sepulchre, that thou shouldest not bury thy dead therein. Abraham stood up and bowed himself before the people of the land the children of Heth. And he communed {comoned} with them saying: If it be your minds that I shall bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and speak for me to Ephron the son of Zoar: and let him give me the double cave which he hath in the end of his field, for as much money as it is worth, let him give it me in the presence of you, for a possession to bury in. For Ephron dwelled among the children of Heth. Then Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of his city, saying: Not so, my lord, but hear me: The field give I thee, and the cave that therein is, give I thee also. And even in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee to bury thy dead in. Then Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land, and spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the country saying: I pray thee hear me, I will give silver for the field, take it of me, and so will I bury my dead there. Ephron answered Abraham saying unto him: My lord, hearken unto me. The land is worth four hundredth sicles of silver: But what is that betwixt thee and me? bury thy dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron and weighed him the silver which he had said in the audience of the sons of Heth. Even four hundred silver sicles of current money among merchants. Thus was the field of Ephron wherein the double cave is before Mamre: even the field and the cave that is therein and all the trees of the field which grow in all the borders round about, made sure unto Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the children of Heth and of all that went in at the gates of the city. And then Abraham buried Sara his wife in the double cave of the field that lieth before Mamre, otherwise called Ebron in the land of Canaan. And so both the field and the cave that is therein, was made unto Abraham, a sure possession to bury in, of the sons of Heth.

Chapter .xxiiij.