Genesis

Lech Lecha 12:1 - 17:27

Y-hova says to Abram, 'get up out of your country and from your family and from the house of your father to aland I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you'. Abram departs from Haran with Lot, Sarai, his servants and possessions and they go to Canaan. Abram travels to the Terebinth Tree ('elon') of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land

Y-hova appears to Abram and says He will give the land to his descendants. Abram builds an altar to Y-hova. Abram then moves on to the hill country east of Bethel. He pitches his tent with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He builds an altar to Y-hova there and calls on the name of the Y-hova. Abram journeys on toward the Negev.

Abram goes to Egypt because there is a severe famine. Abram says to Sarai that he knows she is a woman of beautiful countenance and that the Egyptians will kill him to take her for a wife but let her live. He asks Sarai to say she is his sister so it will be well for him for her sake. 

When Abram enters Egypt, the Egyptians see Sarai is very beautiful and Pharaoh's officials ('sare') commend her to Pharaoh. Pharaoh treats Abram well because of Sarai and Abram acquires possessions.

Y-hova afflicts Pharaoh with great plagues because of the problem with Sarai. Pharaoh summons Abram and asks, 'what have you done to me? Why did you say, she is my sister, so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go (lech)'. 

Abram is sent away with his wife and possessions.

Abraham leaves Egypt and has become wealthy. Abram goes to the Negev and from the Negev he returns to his previous place near Bethel and to his previous altar. He calls on the name of Y-hova.

Lot also had possessions and the land was unable to support both of them. There was controversy (rib) between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. Abram suggests they separate and that if Lot takes the left, he will take the right and vice versa. Lot chooses the plain of the Jordan as it was well-watered and sets out to the east. Abram lives in the land of Canaan. Lot pitches his tent toward Sodom but the men of Sodom are wicked and sinning greatly against Y-hova.

When Lot leaves, Y-hova tells Abram to lift up his eyes and see the land he was due to possess. He says his descendants will be numerous as the dust and tells him to walk through the length and breadth of the land. Abram moves to the Tree 'elon) of Mamre at Hebron and builds an altar to Y-hova.

In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goiim went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela. The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (the Salt Sea). For twelve years they had been subject to Chedorlaomer but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.

In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings with him defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim and the Horites in Mount Seir. Then they turned back to invade En-Mishpat and attacked the territory of the Amalekites and Amorites.

The king of Sodom, king of Gomorrah, king of Admah, king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela went out and arrayed themselves for battle in the Valley of Siddim against Chedorlaomer, Tidal, Amraphel and Arioch; four kings against five.

The Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some men fell into the pits and some fled to the mountains. The four kings seize all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and their food. They also carry off Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in Sodom.

An escapee reports this to Abram. Abram was living near the Elon Tree of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner owned a covenant with Abram. When Abram hears his brother has been captured he mobilises 318 trained men born in his household and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.

During the night, Abram divides his forces and routes Chedorlaomer's army, pursuing them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He retrieves all the goods as well as Lot and his possessions and the women and the rest of the people.

After Abram defeats Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom goes out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (the King's Valley).

Melchizedek king of Salem brings out bread and wine since he was priest of El Ely-n. He blesses Abram saying, 'blessed be Abram of El Ely-n, possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be El Ely-n who has delivered (migen) your enemies into your hands'. Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. The king of Sodom suggests Abram gives him the people and takes possessions but Abram refuses to take anything from the king.  

Y-hova appears to Abram in a vision and says, 'do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield (magen), your very great reward'. Abram then asks what he could be given because he was childless, 'is the heir of my house to be Eliezer of Damascus?'. Y-hova then says, 'this one will not be your heir but one who comes from your own body will be'. Abram is brought outside and told, 'count the stars, if you are able. So shall your offspring be'. Abram believes in Y-hova and it is accounted to him as righteousness. 

Y-hova tells him that he is due to possess the land and Abram asks how he will know that he will possess it and he is told to bring an offering of several young animals (including a heifer, young female goat, turtledove and pigeon) and cut them into two pieces. Abram does this although he does not cut the bird offerings in two. The vultures come to eat the carcasses but Abram drives them away. 

As the sun sets, Abram falls into a deep sleep and terror and pitch darkness overwhelm him. Then He says, 'know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve as slavesand afterward they will depart with many possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete'.

When the sun had set, a smoking fire pot and flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. On that day Y-hova made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'to your descendants I have given this land-from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites'.

Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Sarai says, 'see that Y-hova has restrained me, please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her'.

Abram listens to the voice of Sarai and Hagar conceives but when Hagar realises she is pregnant, she begins to despise her mistress. Sarai says to Abram, 'my wrong be upon you! U gave my maidservant to you and she began to despise me. May Y-hova judge between you and me'. Abram says, 'your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want'. Sarai treats Hagar harshly and she flees. 

The angel of Y-hova finds Hagar by a spring of water in the desert, the spring along the road to Shur. The angel asks, 'where have you come from and where are you going?'. Hagar replies 'I am running away from my mistress Sarai'. The angel tells her to return and submit to Sarai's authority and says, "I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count'. He tells her to call him Ishmael because Y-hova has heard her affliction.

Ishmael will be a wild donkey of a man and he will be in conflict with everyone. Hagar calls the name of Y-hova who spoke to her, 'you are the El that sees me'. She also says, 'I have seen the back of Him who sees me'. Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Y-hova appears and says, 'I am El Sh-ddai, walk before Me and be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and I will multiply you'.

Abram falls on his face and El-him talks with him and says, 'behold My covenant with you, you shall be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram but Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. Kings will descend from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants as an everlasting covenant to be your El-him and your descendants after you. To you and your descendants I give the land where you are residing, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession'.

El-him says His covenant is eternal and every male must be circumcised and this will be a sign of the covenant. Every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner, even those who are not your offspring. If a male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken the covenant.

Sarai is called Sarah and he is promised a son through her. She will be the mother of nations and kings of peoples will descend from her. Abraham falls down and laughs to himself, 'can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?'. Abraham says, "O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing'. El-him repeats it is going to be true and that he is to be called Yitzchak ('laughter'), 

El-him says He will establish His covenant as an everlasting covenant with Yitzchak and his descendants. He says he hears Abraham about Ishmael and Ishmael will be blessed and made numerous. El-him finishes talking with Abraham and goes up.

On that very day Abraham circumcises all the males in his household. Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised and his son Ishmael was thirteen. Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. All the men were circumcised with him.