DRIVEN TO EGYPT BY FAMINE.

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on Jehovah's name. And Abraham moved his camp in slow journeys to the south of Judah.

Now Sarah, Abraham's wife, bare him no child. And she had an Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar. And Sarah, Abraham's wife, took Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, and gave her to her husband Abraham to be his wife. And Hagar bare Abraham a son, and Abraham called his son's name, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael.

And there came a famine in the land, and Abraham went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when he was about to enter into Egypt, that he said to Sarah, his wife : Behold now, I know that thou art a woman fair to look upon, and it shall be when the Egyptians see thee, they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but thee they will save alive. Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that it may go well with me for thy sake, and I may live because of thee. And it came to pass, when Abraham was come into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very fair. And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he did well unto Abraham for her sake, so that he had sheep, and oxen, and asses, and men-servants, and maidservants, and she-asses, and camels.

But Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Then Pharaoh called Abraham, and said: What is this that thou hast done to me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, so that I took her to me to wife? And now behold thy wife. Take her and go. And Pharaoh commanded his

men concerning him, and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

And Abraham went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the south of Judah. And Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went by slow journeys from the south of Judah as far as Bethel, where his tent had been before, between Bethel and Ai, to the place of the altar which he had made there before, and there Abraham called on Jehovah's name.

Now Lot also, who went with Abraham, had flocks and herds and tents. And the land was not able to bear them dwelling together, for their substance was so great that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abraham's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. And Abraham said to Lot: Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and me, and between thy herdmen and my herdmen, for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left, I will take the right. Or if thou wilt take the right, I will take the left.

And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan as thou goest to Zoar, that it was all well-watered, like the garden of Jehovah, like the land of Egypt. So Lot chose him all the valley of the Jordan. And Lot journeyed eastward, and they separated the one from the other. Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley of the Jordan, pitching his tent as far as Sodom.

And after Lot was separated from him, Jehovah said to Abraham Lift up thine eyes, and from the place where thou art, look northward, and southward, and

eastward, and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed like the dust of the earth; if one can count the dust of the earth, thy seed also shall be counted. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for to thee will I give it. And Abraham removed his tent, and came and dwelt at the Oaks of Mamre-which are at Hebron, and built there an altar to Jehovah.

Now it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, that the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela served. Chedorlaomer king of Elam twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rébelled. And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-Karnaim, and the Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim, in the valley of Kiriathaim, and the Horites in their mountain, Seir, unto El-Paran, which is by the wilderness. And they returned and came to the Well of Judgment—which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-Tamar. Then went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela-which is Zoar,-and joined battle with them in the valley of Siddim, with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel, king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits, and as the kings. of Sodom and Gomorrah fled they fell therein. And they that remained fled to to the mountain. Then

they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abraham's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

And there came one that had escaped, and told Abraham the Hebrew. Now he dwelt at the Oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abraham. And when Abraham heard that his kinsman was taken captive, he led forth his trained men-those born in his house,— three hundred and eighteen, and pursued unto Dan. And he divided himself against them by night, he and his men, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah-which is north of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also Lot his kinsman and his goods he brought back, and likewise the women and the people.

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from smiting Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, to the valley of Shaveh-which is the King's Dale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine. Now he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abraham of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the most high God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him a tenth of all. And the king of Sodom said to Abraham: Give me the persons, but the goods take thou. And Abraham said to the king of Sodom: I have lifted up mine hand to Jehovah, the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, that from a thread even to a sandal strap I will not take ought that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abraham rich;

AN ANGEL APPEARS.

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save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eschol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Now the men of Sodom were wicked, sinners against Jehovah exceedingly. And Jehovah appeared unto Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the tentdoor in the heat of the day. For he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men standing over against him. And he saw them, and ran to meet them from the tentdoor, and bowed himself to the ground, and said: My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let, now, a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch a morsel of bread that ye may stay yourselves, forasmuch as ye are come to your servant; after that ye shall pass on. And they said: So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened to the tent to Sarah, and said: Take quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes. And Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a man-servant, and he hasted to dress it. Then he took curds and. milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set them before them, and he stood by them under the tree while they did eat.

And they said to him: Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said: Behold, she is in the tent. And He said: I will surely return unto thee when the season returneth, and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. Now Sarah was hearkening at the tent-door, for it was behind Him. And Abraham and Sarah were old, well stricken in years; therefore Sarah laughed within herself. And Jehovah. said to Abraham: Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? Is any