Genesis

Vayera 18:1 - 22:24

Y-hova appears to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre as he was sitting at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham lifts his eyes and saw three men were standing by him. He runs to meet them and bows to the ground. He says to them, 'My lord (singular) (Ad-nai), if I have found favour in your sight, I pray that you do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought to wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree and I will bring some bread to refresh your hearts', And they (plural) said, 'Yes, you may do as you have said'.

Abraham hurries to the tent where Sarah is and says, 'Quickly make bread' and then runs to the herd and chooses a tender young calf and gives it to a young male servant to prepare.

Abraham takes butter and milk and the calf (meat) and sets the food before the visitors. The visitors (plural) say to him, 'Where is Sarah your wife?' and he replies she is in the tent. And he says (singular), 'I will return to you at the time of life and Sarah will have a son'. Sarah was listening. Abraham and Sarah were well advanced in age and Sarah had passed childbearing age. Therefore she laughed (Vatischak) within herself. And Y-hova said to Abraham, 'why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for Y-hova? At the appointed time (moed) I will return to you and Sarah will have a son'. Sarah denied it, saying 'I did not laugh' because she was afraid. And he said, 'no but you did laugh'.

The men rose from there and looked towards Soddom and Abraham went with them to send them. Y-hova says, 'shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? Since Abraham will surely become a great nation (goy) and all nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I have known him in order that he may command his children and household that they may keep the way (derech) of Y-hova by doing what is right and just'.

Y-hova says the outcry against Soddom and Gomorrah is great because of their sin, 'I will go down (eradah) now and see whether they have done these things and if not, I will know'.

And Abraham came near and said, 'would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were 50 righteous in the city? Far be it from you to slay the righteous; You shall be the judge (shophet) of the earth'. Y-hova says, 'if I find 50 righteous in Soddom I will spare all the place on their account'. Abraham then continues to possibly 45, 40, 30, 20, 10 righteous people and Y-hova agrees. Y-hova goes his way (vayelech) as soon as he had finished (kilah) speaking with Abraham and Abraham returned to his place. 

Two angels come to Soddom and Lot was sitting at the gate of Soddom. When saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed. He says, 'my lords, please turn into the house of your servant and spend the night and wash your feet and you can rise early and go on your way'. They say, 'no, we will spend the night in the open square'. Lot insists and they enter his house and he makes them a feast of unleavened bread. 

Before they lay down (yiskabu), they compassed (nasabu) over the house from young to old and all the people from every quarter. The call to Lot and say, 'where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them to us that we may know (venedeyah) them. 

Lot goes out to them through the doorway and shuts the door behind him, saying, 'please my brothers do not act so wickedly (tare'u). I have two daughters who have not known a man. Let me bring them to you and you may do according to what is good in your eyes. But do not do anything to these men because they have come under the shadow of my roof'. 

They say to Lot, 'stand back, this one came to sojourn and is not acting like a judge. Now we shall deal worse with you' and they pressed Lot greatly and came to break the door. But the men reached out their hands and pull Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they smote the men with blindness so they could not find the door.

And the men said whoever you have in the city take out of this place. We will destroy this place because the outcry against them has grown great and Y-hove has sent us to destroy it. Lot goes to speak to his sons in law who had married his daughters and says, 'get up and get out' but he seemd to be joking (kimsahek). 

In the morning, the angels (malachim) hurried Lot and while he lingered, they took hold of their hands because Y-hova was merciful to them. When they had brought them outside, they say 'escape (himmalet) for your lives to the mountains, do not look behind you'. 

Lot says, 'please no, I am not able to escape to the mountains lest some evil overtake me and I die. Let me escape to this near, small city'. And he said to him, 'see I have sustained you, also concerning the issue that I will not overthrow the city you have spoken of; hurry and escape there; I cannot do anything until you arrive there'. Upon this, the city was called Zoar. Lot enters Zoar.

Then Y-hova rains on Soddom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire form out of the heavens. He overthrows these cities and all the plain and all the inhabitants and what grew on the ground. But his wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt (melach).

Abraham goes early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Y-hova and looked towards Soddom and Gommorah and smoke was rising like a furnace. El-him remembers Abraham and sends Lot out of the midst of the disaster. 

Lot goes up out of Zoar and dwells in the mountains with his daughters because he is afraid to stay in Zoar. He dwells in a cave and his firstborn daughter says to the younger, 'our father is old and there is no man on earth to come into us, as is the custom of all earth. Let us make our father drink wine and we will lie with him that we may preserve our father's seed'. They make their father drink wine and that night the firstborn lays with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Then the firstborn suggests that the younger do the same. 

The two daughters become pregnant; the firtborn bears Moab (the father of the Moabites) and the younger bears Ben-Ammi (the father of Ammon).

Abraham journeys to the Negev and stays in Gerar. Abraham says that Sarah is his sister. Abimelech was king of Gerar and sends for Sarah but El-him comes to Abimelech in a dream and says, 'you are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is married'. Abimelech says, 'L-rd (Ad-nai), will you also slay a righteous nation? Did he not say she was his sister? She also said he was her brother. In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands have I done this'.

El-him says He knows he had integrity in his heart and that is why He withheld Abimelech from sinning, 'now restore the man's wife for he is a prophet (nabi) and he will pray for you'.

Abimelech rises early and tells his servants and they were afraid. Abimelech calls Abraham and says, 'what is this you have done?' How have I offended you that you have brought on my kingdom a great sin'. Abraham replies that he said so because he did not think the fear of El-him was in Gerar and that he would be killed for his wife. He also says that Sarah is truly his sister because she is the daughter of his father but not his mother. He says that he had asked Sarah to say she was his sister wherever they went.

Abimelech takes sheep, oxen and servants and gives them to Abraham and also restores Sarah to him. Abimelech also says 'my land is before you, dwell where you please'. Abimelech then says to Sarah, 'I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; it is a covering of the eyes to all who are with you' and she was thus vindicated before everyone.

Abraham prays to El-him and El-him heals Abimelech and his wife and maidservants beause Y-hova had completely closed all the wombs in the house on account of Sarah.

Y-hova visits Sarah as He had said and she conceives and bears a son at the set time. Abraham calls him Yitzchak and circumcises him when he is eight days old. Abraham was 100 years old when Yitzchak was born. Sarah says, 'El-him has brought laughter to me and all who hear will laugh with me. Who would have said that Sarah would nurse children?'. The child grew and was weaned and Abraham made a great feast when he was weaned.

Sarah sees the son of Hagar the Egyptian scoffing (mizachek) so she says, 'cast out this slave woman and her son for her son shall not be heir with my son'. The matter (dabar) was very displeasing to Abraham but El-him says to Abraham, 'do not let it be displeasing because of the boy or because of your maidservant. All that Sarah has said to you listen, for in Yitzchak will your seed be reckoned. I will make the son of the bondwoman a great nation because he is your seed'.

Abraham rises early in the morning and takes bread and water and gives it to Hagar and puts it on her shoulder and the child and sends her away. She departs and wanders in the wilderness of Beersheba.

The water then becomes used up and she places the boy under one of the bushes and she went to sit down opposite him at a distance, the shot of a bow (kimtahaveh keshet) because she says to herself, 'do not let me see the death of the boy'. She lifts her voice and weeps and El-him hears the voice of the boy. The angel of G-d then calls out to Hagar from heaven and says, 'what is wrong, Hagar? Do not fear for El-him has listened to the voice of the boy. Lift up the boy and hold him with your hand for I will make him a great nation. El-him opens her eyes and she sees a well (be'er) of water. She fills the water container and gives it to the boy (na'ar).

El-him was with the boy and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became a great archer (qashat). He dwelt in Paran and his mother took him a wife from Egypt.

Abimelech and his commander, Philcol speak to Abraham, saying, 'El-him is with you in everything that you do. Now swear to me before El-him that you will not deal falsely with me or my offspring but according to the kindness i have done to you'. Abraham swears and reproves Abimelech because of a well that his servants had seized. Abimelech says he did not know who did that and that Abraham did not tell him about it. Abraham gives Abimelech oxen and sheep and they make a covenant (brit). Abraham then sets apart seven ewe lambs and says they may serve as witness that he dug the well. The place is then called Beersheba.

Abimelech and Philcol return to the land of the Phillistines. Abraham then plants a tamarisk tree and calls on the name of Y-hova E- E-yon (G-d Et-rnal). Abraham stays in the land of the Phillistines many days.

After these matters (devarim), El-him tests Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham!'. Abraham replies, 'here I am! (hineini)'. He says, 'take now your only (yehidecha) son (bincha) who you love (ahavta) and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering there on one of the mountains'. Abraham arises early, saddles his donkey and takes two young men with him, as well as Yitzchak. He splits the wood for the offering and goes to the place of which El-him had told him.

On the third day he lifts up his eyes and sees the place from a distance. Abraham tells the men, 'wait with the donkey and I and the boy will go and worship (venishtachaveh) and we will come back to you'. Abraham takes the wood and lays it on Yitzchak and takes the fire in his hand with a knife.

Yitzchak speaks to his father and says, 'Father! (avi)'. Abraham replies, 'here I am my son'. He says, 'behold the fire and wood but where is the lamb for the offering?' and Abraham says, 'El-him will provide to himself the lamb, my son'.

The two go together to the place and Abraham builds an altar (mizbeach) and arranges the wood. He then binds Yitzchak his son and lays him on the altar on the wood. Abraham stretches out his hand and takes the knife to slay his son but the angel of the L-rd calls out to him from heaven, saying 'Abraham!'. Abraham replies, 'here I am!'. He says, 'do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him. Now I know that you feat El-him since you have not withheld your only son from me'.

Abraham lifts his eyes and sees a ram behind him caught in the bushes by its horns. So Abraham took it and offered it instead. Abraham calls the place 'Y-hova Yireh' as it is said this day in the mountain of Y-hova, it shall be provided.

The angel of Y-hova calls to Abraham a second time and says, 'on account of what you have done and have not withheld your only son, I will bless and multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and the sand on the shore and they shall possess the gate (sha'ar) of their enemies (oyevav). All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in your seed because you have obeyed my voice'. Abraham returns to his servants and they go to Beersheba.

After these things happened, it came to pass that Abraham was told that Milcah has borne children to his brother, Nachor, namely Uz, Buz and Kemuel (who was the father of Aram), as well as Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel. Bethuel begot Rebekah; these eight did Milcah bear His concubine, Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah.