__**Abraham at Beersheba. Birth and Circumcision of Isaac (cf. Gen. 21:1-4).**__

Institution of the Feast of Tabernacles (16:10-31).

10 And in this month, Abraham moved from Hebron and departed and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur in the mountains of Gerar.

11 And in the middle of the fifth month he moved from thence and dwelt at the Well of the Oath.

12 And in the middle of the sixth month the Lord visited Sarah and did unto her as He had spoken, and she conceived.

13 And she bare a son in the third month, and in the middle of the month, at the time of which the Lord had spoken to Abraham, on the festival of the first fruits of the harvest, Isaac was born.

14 And Abraham circumcised his son on the eighth day: he was the first that was circumcised according to the covenant which is ordained for ever.

15 And in the sixth year of the fourth week we came to Abraham, to the Well of the Oath, and we appeared unto him [as we had told Sarah that we should return to her, and she would have conceived a son.

16 And we returned in the seventh month, and found Sarah with child before us] and we blessed him, and we announced to him all the things which had been decreed concerning him, that he should not die till he should beget six sons more, and should see (them) before he died; but (that) in Isaac should his name and seed be called:

17 And (that) all the seed of his sons should be Gentiles (nations) and be reckoned with the Gentiles (nations); but from the sons of Isaac one should become a holy seed and should not be reckoned among the Gentiles (nations).

18 For he should become the portion of the Most High, and all his seed had fallen into the possession of God, that it should be unto the Lord a people for (His) possession above all nations and that it should become a kingdom and priests and a holy nation.

19 And we went our way, and we announced to Sarah all that we had told him, and they both rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

20 And he built there an altar to the Lord who had delivered him, and who was making him rejoice in the land of his sojourning, and he celebrated a festival of joy in this month seven days, near the altar which he had built at the Well of the Oath.

21 And he built booths for himself and for his servants on this festival, and he was the first to celebrate the feast of tabernacles on the earth.

22 And during these seven days he brought each day to the altar a burnt offering to the Lord, two oxen, two rams, seven sheep, one he-goat, for a sin offering, that he might atone thereby for himself and for his seed.

23 And, as a thank-offering, seven rams, seven kids, seven sheep, and seven he-goats, and their fruit offerings and their drink offerings; and he burnt all the fat thereof on the altar, a chosen offering unto the Lord for a sweet-smelling savour.

24 And morning and evening he burnt fragrant substances, frankincense and galbanum, and stackte, and nard, and myrrh, and spice, and costum; all these seven he offered, crushed, mixed together in equal parts (and) pure.

25 And he celebrated this feast for seven days, rejoicing with all his heart and with all his soul, he and all those who were in his house, and there was no stranger with him, nor any that was uncircumcised.

26 And he blessed his Creator who had created him in his generation, for He had created him according to His good pleasure; for He knew and perceived that from him would arise the plant of righteousness for the eternal generations, and from him a holy seed, so that it should become like Him who had made all things.

27 And he blessed and rejoiced, and he called the name of this festival the festival of the Lord, a joy acceptable to the Most High God.

28 And we blessed him for ever, and all his seed after him throughout all the generations of the earth, because he celebrated this festival in its season, according to the testimony of the heavenly tablets.

29 For this reason it is ordained on the heavenly tablets concerning Israel, that they shall celebrate the feast of tabernacles seven days with joy, in the seventh month, acceptable before the Lord -a statute for ever throughout their generations every year.

30 And to this there is no limit of days; for it is ordained for ever regarding Israel that they should celebrate it and dwell in booths, and set wreaths upon their heads, and take leafy boughs, and willows from the brook.

31 And Abraham took branches of palm trees, and the fruit of goodly trees, and every day going around the altar with the branches seven times [a day] in the morning, he praised and gave thanks to his God for all things in joy.

**

**[Chapter 17]**
__**The Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael (17:1-14; cf. Gen. 21:8-21).**__

1 And in the first year of the fifth week Isaac was weaned in this jubilee, [1982 A.M.] and Abraham made a great banquet in the third month, on the day his son Isaac was weaned.

2 And Ishmael, the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, was before the face of Abraham, his father, in his place, and Abraham rejoiced and blessed God because he had seen his sons and had not died childless.

3 And he remembered the words which He had spoken to him on the day on which Lot had parted from him, and he rejoiced because the Lord had given him seed upon the earth to inherit the earth, and he blessed with all his mouth the Creator of all things.

4 And Sarah saw Ishmael playing and dancing, and Abraham rejoicing with great joy, and she became jealous of Ishmael and said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman will not be heir with my son, Isaac.’

5 And the thing was grievous in Abraham’s sight, because of his maidservant and because of his son, that he should drive them from him.

6 And God said to Abraham ‘Let it not be grievous in your sight, because of the child and because of the bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto you, harken to her words and do (them); for in Isaac shall your name and seed be called.

7 But as for the son of this bondwoman I will make him a great nation, because he is of your seed.’

8 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and placed them on the shoulders of Hagar and the child and sent her away.

9 And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, and the water in the bottle was spent, and the child thirsted, and was not able to go on, and fell down.

10 And his mother took him and cast him under an olive tree, and went and sat her down over against him, at the distance of a bow-shot; for she said, ‘Let me not see the death of my child,’ and as she sat she wept.

11 And an angel of God, one of the holy ones, said unto her, ‘Why do you weep, Hagar? Arise take the child and hold him in your hand; for God has heard your voice and has seen the child.’

12 And she opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled her bottle with water, and she gave her child to drink, and she arose and went towards the wilderness of Paran.

13 And the child grew and became an archer, and God was with him, and his mother took him a wife from among the daughters of Egypt.

14 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Nebaioth; for she said, ‘The Lord was nigh to me when I called upon him.’

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**Mastêmâ proposes to God that Abraham shall be put to the Proof (16:15-18).**

15 And it came to pass in the seventh week, in the first year thereof, [2003 A.M.] in the first month in this jubilee, on the twelfth of this month, there were voices in heaven regarding Abraham, that he was faithful in all that He told him, and that he loved the Lord, and that in every affliction he was faithful.

16 And the prince Mastêmâ came and said before God, ‘Behold, Abraham loves Isaac his son, and he delights in him above all things else; bid him offer him as a burnt-offering on the altar, and You will see if he will do this command, and You will know if he is faithful in everything wherein You dost try him.

17 And the Lord knew that Abraham was faithful in all his afflictions; for He had tried him through his country and with famine, and had tried him with the wealth of kings, and had tried him again through his wife, when she was torn (from him), and with circumcision; and had tried him through Ishmael and Hagar, his maid-servant, when he sent them away.

18 And in everything wherein He had tried him, he was found faithful, and his soul was not impatient, and he was not slow to act; for he was faithful and a lover of the Lord.

**[Chapter 19]**
__**The Death and Burial of Sarah (19:1-9; cf. Gen. 23).**__

1 And in the first year of the first week in the forty-second jubilee, Abraham returned and dwelt opposite Hebron, that is Kirjath Arba, two weeks of years.

2 And in the first year of the third week of this jubilee the days of the life of Sarah were accomplished, and she died in Hebron.

3 And Abraham went to mourn over her and bury her, and we tried him [to see] if his spirit were patient and he were not indignant in the words of his mouth; and he was found patient in this and was not disturbed.

4 For in patience of spirit he conversed with the children of Heth, to the intent that they should give him a place in which to bury his dead.

5 And the Lord gave him grace before all who saw him, and he besought in gentleness the sons of Heth, and they gave him the land of the double cave over against Mamre, that is Hebron, for four hundred pieces of silver.

6 And they besought him saying, We shall give it to you for nothing; but he would not take it from their hands for nothing, for he gave the price of the place, the money in full, and he bowed down before them twice, and after this he buried his dead in the double cave.*

7 And all the days of the life of Sarah were one hundred and twenty- seven years, that is, two jubilees and four weeks and one year: these are the days of the years of the life of Sarah.

8 This is the tenth trial wherewith Abraham was tried, and he was found faithful, patient in spirit.

9 And he said not a single word regarding the rumour in the land how that God had said that He would give it to him and to his seed after him, and he begged a place there to bury his dead; for he was found faithful and was recorded on the heavenly tablets as the friend of God.

**Marriage of Isaac and second Marriage of Abraham (cf. Gen. 24:15, 25:1-4);**

__**The Birth of Esau and Jacob (cf. Gen. 25:19 ff) (19:10-14).**__

10 And in the fourth year thereof he took a wife for his son Isaac and her name was Rebecca [2020 A.M.] [the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham] the sister of Laban and daughter of Bethuel; and Bethuel was the son of Melca, who was the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham.

11 And Abraham took to himself a third wife, and her name was Keturah, from among the daughters of his household servants, for Hagar had died before Sarah.

12 And she bare him six sons, Zimram and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak, and Shuah, in the two weeks of years.

13 And in the sixth week, in the second year thereof, Rebecca bare to Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau, and [2046 A.M.] Jacob was a smooth and upright man, and Esau was fierce, a man of the field, and hairy, and Jacob dwelt in tents.

14 And the youths grew, and Jacob learned to write; but Esau did not learn, for he was a man of the field and a hunter, and he learnt war, and all his deeds were fierce.

Abraham loves Jacob and blesses him (19:15-31).

15 And Abraham loved Jacob, but Isaac loved Esau.

16 And Abraham saw the deeds of Esau, and he knew that in Jacob should his name and seed be called; and he called Rebecca and gave commandment regarding Jacob, for he knew that she (too) loved Jacob much more than Esau.

17 And he said unto her: My daughter, watch over my son Jacob, For he shall be in my stead on the earth, And for a blessing in the midst of the children of men, And for the glory of the whole seed of Shem.

18 For I know that the Lord will choose him to be a people for possession unto Himself, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

19 And behold, Isaac my son loves Esau more than Jacob, but I see that you truly love Jacob.

20 Add still further to your kindness to him, And let your eyes be upon him in love; For he shall be a blessing unto us on the earth from henceforth unto all generations of the earth.

21 Let your hands be strong And let your heart rejoice in your son Jacob; For I have loved him far beyond all my sons.

He shall be blessed for ever, And his seed shall fill the whole earth.

22 If a man can number the sand of the earth, His seed also shall be numbered.

23 And all the blessings wherewith the Lord has blessed me, and my seed shall belong to Jacob and his seed always.

24 And in his seed shall my name be blessed, and the name of my fathers, Shem, and Noab, and Enoch, and Mahalalel, and Enos, and Seth, and Adam.

25 And these shall serve to lay the foundations of the heaven and to strengthen the earth and to renew all the luminaries which are in the firmament.

26 And he called Jacob before the eyes of Rebecca his mother, and kissed him, and blessed him, and said:

27 ‘Jacob, my beloved son, whom my soul loveth, may God bless you from above the firmament, and may He give you all the blessings wherewith He blessed Adam, and Enoch, and Noah, and Shem; and all the things of which He told me, and all the things which He promised to give me, may he cause to cleave to you and to your seed for ever, according to the days of heaven above the earth.

28 And the Spirits of Mastêmâ shall not rule over you or over your seed to turn you from the Lord, who is your God from henceforth for ever.

29 And may the Lord God be a father to you and you the first-born son, and to the people always. Go in peace, my son.’

30 And they both went forth together from Abraham.

31 And Rebecca loved Jacob, with all her heart and with all her soul, very much more than Esau; but Isaac loved Esau much more than Jacob.

**[Chapter 20]**
__**Abraham’s Last Words to his Children and Grandchildren (20:1-2).**__

1 And in the forty-second jubilee, in the first year of the seventh week, Abraham called Ishmael, [2052 (2045) A.M.] and his twelve sons, and Isaac and his two sons, and the six sons of Keturah, and their sons.

2 And he commanded them that they should observe the way of the Lord; that they should work righteousness, and love each his neighbour, and act on this manner amongst all men; that they should each so walk with regard to them as to do judgment and righteousness on the earth.

3 That they should circumcise their sons, according to the covenant which He had made with them, and not deviate to the right hand or the left of all the paths which the Lord had commanded us; and that we should keep ourselves from all fornication and uncleanness, [and renounce from amongst us all fornication and uncleanness].

4 And if any woman or maid commit fornication amongst you, burn her with fire and let them not commit fornication with her after their eyes and their heart; and let them not take to themselves wives from the daughters of Canaan; for the seed of Canaan will be rooted out of the land.

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5 And he told them of the judgment of the giants, and the judgment of the Sodomites, how they had been judged on account of their wickedness, and had died on account of their fornication, and uncleanness, and mutual corruption through fornication.

6 ‘And guard yourselves from all fornication and uncleanness, And from all pollution of sin, Lest you make our name a curse, And your whole life a hissing, And all your sons to be destroyed by the sword, And you become accursed like Sodom, And all your remnant as the sons of Gomorrah.

7 I implore you, my sons, love the God of heaven And cleave you to all His commandments. And walk not after their idols, and after their uncleanness’s,

8 And make not for yourselves molten or graven gods; For they are vanity, And there is no spirit in them; For they are work of (men’s) hands, And all who trust in them, trust in nothing. Serve them not, nor worship them,

9 But serve you the most high God, and worship Him continually: And hope for His countenance always and work uprightness and righteousness before Him, that He may have pleasure in you and grant you His mercy and send rain upon you morning and evening and bless all your works which you have wrought upon the earth and bless your bread and your water and bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land and the herds of your cattle, and the flocks of your sheep.

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10 And you will be for a blessing on the earth, And all nations of the earth will desire you and bless your sons in my name, that they may be blessed as I am.

11 And he gave to Ishmael and to his sons, and to the sons of Keturah, gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, and he gave everything to Isaac his son.

__**The Dwelling-places of the Ishmaelites and of the Sons of Keturah (20:12-13).**__

12 And Ishmael and his sons, and the sons of Keturah and their sons, went together and dwelt from Paran to the entering in of Babylon in all the land which is towards the East facing the desert.

13 And these mingled with each other, and their name was called Arabs, and Ishmaelites.

**[Chapter 21]**
__**Abraham’s Last Words to Isaac (21:1-25).**__

1 And in the sixth year of the seventh week of this jubilee Abraham called Isaac his son, and [2057 (2050) A.M.] commanded him: saying, ‘I am become old, and know not the day of my death, and am full of my days.

2 And behold, I am one hundred and seventy-five years old, and throughout all the days of my life I have remembered the Lord and sought with all my heart to do His will, and to walk uprightly in all His ways.

3 My soul has hated idols, given my heart and spirit> that I might observe to do the will of Him who created me.

4 For He is the living God, and He is holy and faithful, and He is righteous beyond all, and there is with Him no accepting of (men’s) persons and no accepting of gifts; for God is righteous and executes judgment on all those who transgress His commandments and despise His covenant.

5 And do you, my son, observe His commandments and His ordinances and His judgments, and walk not after the abominations and after the graven images and after the molten images.

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6 And eat no blood at all of animals or cattle, or of any bird which flies in the heaven.

7 And if you dost slay a victim as an acceptable peace offering, slay you it, and pour out its blood upon the altar, and all the fat of the offering offer on the altar with fine flour (and the meat offering) mingled with oil, with its drink offering –offer them all together on the altar of burnt offering; it is a sweet savour before the Lord.

8 And you will offer the fat of the sacrifice of thank offerings on the fire which is upon the altar, and the fat which is on the belly, and all the fat on the inwards and the two kidneys, and all the fat that is upon them, and upon the loins and liver you shall remove, together with the kidneys.

9 And offer all these for a sweet savour acceptable before the Lord, with its meat-offering and with its drink-offering, for a sweet savour, the bread of the offering unto the Lord.

10 And eat its meat on that day and on the second day, and let not the sun on the second day go down upon it till it is eaten, and let nothing be left over for the third day; for it is not acceptable [for it is not approved] and let it no longer be eaten, and all who eat thereof will bring sin upon themselves; for thus I have found it written in the books of my forefathers, and in the words of Enoch, and in the words of Noah.

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11 And on all your oblations you shall strew salt and let not the salt of the covenant be lacking in all your oblations before the Lord.

12 And as regards the wood of the sacrifices, beware lest you bring (other) wood for the altar in addition to these: cypress, bay (dêfrân), almond (sagâd), fir, pine, cedar, savin, fig, olive, myrrh, laurel, aspalathus (citron), juniper, and balsam.

13 And of these kinds of wood lay upon the altar under the sacrifice, such as have been tested as to their appearance, and do not lay (thereon) any split or dark wood, (but) hard and clean, without fault, a sound and new growth; and do not lay (thereon) old wood, [for its fragrance is gone] for there is no longer fragrance in it as before.

14 Besides these kinds of wood there is none other that you shall place (on the altar), for the fragrance is dispersed, and the smell of its fragrance goes not up to heaven.

15 Observe this commandment and do it, my son, that you mayst be upright in all your deeds.

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16 And at all times be clean in your body and wash yourself with water before you approach to offer on the altar and wash your hands and your feet before you draw near to the altar; and when you are done sacrificing, wash again your hands and your feet.

17 And let no blood appear upon you nor upon your clothes; be on you guard, my son, against blood, be on your guard exceedingly; cover it with dust.

18 And do not eat any blood for it is the soul; eat no blood whatever.

19 And take no gifts for the blood of man, lest it be shed with impunity, without judgment; for it is the blood that is shed that causes the earth to sin, and the earth cannot be cleansed from the blood of man save by the blood of him who shed it.

20 And take no present or gift for the blood of man: blood for blood, that you may be accepted before the Lord, the Most High God; for He is the defence of the good: and that you may be preserved from all evil, and that He may save you from every kind of death.

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21 I see, my son, That all the works of the children of men are sin and wickedness, And all their deeds are uncleanness and an abomination and a pollution, And there is no righteousness with them.

22 Beware, lest you shouldest walk in their ways And tread in their paths And sin a sin unto death before the Most High God.

23 Else He will [hide His face from you And] give you back into the hands of your transgression, And root you out of the land, and your seed likewise from under heaven, And your name and your seed shall perish from the whole earth. Turn away from all their deeds and all their uncleanness, And observe the ordinance of the Most High God, And do His will and be upright in all things.

24 And He will bless you in all your deeds and will raise up from you a plant of righteousness through all the earth, throughout all generations of the earth, And my name and your name shall not be forgotten under heaven for ever.

25 Go, my son in peace. May the Most High God, my God and your God, strengthen you to do His will, And may He bless all your seed and the residue of your seed for the generations for ever, with all righteous blessings, That you may be a blessing on all the earth.’

26 And he went out from him rejoicing.

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**[Chapter 22]**

__**Isaac, Ishmael and Jacob join in Festival with Abraham for the Last Time. Abraham’s Prayer (22:1-9).**__

1 And it came to pass in the first week in the forty-fourth jubilee, in the second year, that is, the year in which Abraham died, that Isaac and Ishmael came from the Well of the Oath to celebrate the feast of weeks -that is, the feast of the first fruits of the harvest-to Abraham, their father, and Abraham rejoiced because his two sons had come.

2 For Isaac had many possessions in Beersheba, and Isaac was wont to go and see his possessions and to return to his father.

3 And in those days, Ishmael came to see his father, and they both came together, and Isaac offered a sacrifice for a burnt offering and presented it on the altar of his father which he had made in Hebron.

4 And he offered a thank offering and made a feast of joy before Ishmael, his brother: and Rebecca made new cakes from the new grain, and gave them to Jacob, her son, to take them to Abraham, his father, from the first fruits of the land, that he might eat and bless the Creator of all things before he died.

5 And Isaac, too, sent by the hand of Jacob to Abraham a best thank offering, that he might eat and drink.

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6 And he eat and drank, and blessed the Most High God, Who has created heaven and earth, Who has made all the fat things of the earth And given them to the children of men That they might eat and drink and bless their Creator.

7 ‘And now I give thanks unto You, my God, because you have caused me to see this day: behold, I am one hundred three score and fifteen years, an old man and full of days, and all my days have been unto me peace.

8 The sword of the adversary has not overcome me in all that You have given me and my children all the days of my life until this day.

9 My God, may Your mercy and Your peace be upon Your servant, and upon the seed of his sons, that they may be to You a chosen nation and an inheritance from amongst all the nations of the earth from henceforth unto all the days of the generations of the earth, unto all the ages.’

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__**Abraham’s Last Words to and Blessings of Jacob (22:10-30).**__

10 And he called Jacob and said: ‘My son Jacob, may the God of all bless you and strengthen you to do righteousness, and His will before Him, and may He choose you and your seed that you may become a people for His inheritance according to His will always.

11 And do you, my son, Jacob, draw near and kiss me.’ And he drew near and kissed him, and he said: ‘Blessed be my son Jacob And all the sons of God Most High, unto all the ages: May God give unto you a seed of righteousness; And some of your sons may He sanctify in the midst of the whole earth; May nations serve you, And all the nations bow themselves before your seed.

12 Be strong in the presence of men, And exercise authority over all the seed of Seth. Then your ways and the ways of your sons will be justified, So that they shall become a holy nation.

13 May the Most High God give you all the blessings Wherewith He has blessed me And wherewith He blessed Noah and Adam; May they rest on the sacred head of your seed from generation to generation for ever.

14 And may He cleanse you from all unrighteousness and impurity, That you may be forgiven all the transgressions; which you have committed ignorantly. And may He strengthen you And bless you. And may you inherit the whole earth,

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15 And may He renew His covenant with you. That you may be to Him a nation for His inheritance for all the ages, And that He may be to you and to your seed a God in truth and righteousness throughout all the days of the earth.

16 And do you, my son Jacob, remember my words and observe the commandments of Abraham, your father: Separate yourself from the nations, And eat not with them: And do not according to their works and become not their associate; for their works are unclean and all their ways are a pollution and an abomination and uncleanness.

17 They offer their sacrifices to the dead and they worship evil spirits and they eat over the graves, And all their works are vanity and nothingness.

18 They have no heart to understand And their eyes do not see what their works are and how they err in saying to a piece of wood: ‘You art my God,’ And to a stone: ‘You art my Lord and you art my deliverer.’ [And they have no heart.]

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