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Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jòrdan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

ABRAHAM'S PRAYER FOR SODOM.*

GEN. XVIII.-20 And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.

33 And Abraham drew near, and said, (—) Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be () fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be fur from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, (—) Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack (1) five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and fìve, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, (-) Peradventure there shall be (II) forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak; Peradventure there shall thìrty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, (—) I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, (--) Oh let not

Throughout this piece, Abraham speaks in the plaintive tone of earnest entreaty.

the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure () ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.

ABRAHAM OFFERING ISAAC IN SACRIFICE.

GEN. XXII.-1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, (o) A'braham. And he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, (。) Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Móriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his són; and clave the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose úp, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide you here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and còme again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his sòn; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said, My father. And he said, Here am I, my són. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? 8 And Abraham said, My són, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order; and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Ābraham! And he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Ĺay not thine hand upon the lád, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast

not withheld thy son, thine only son,

from me. 13 And

Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, behind him a ràm caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son.

ISAAC'S BLESSING UPON JACOB.

GEN. xxvII.-1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My són. And he said unto him, Behold, here am I'. 2 And he said, Behold, now I am òld, I know not the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4 And make me savoury meat, such as 1 lòve, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5 And Rebekah heard, when Isaac spake to Esau his son and Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord, before my death. 8 Now, therefore, my son, obey my voice, according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a haìry man, and I am a smooth man : 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my són : only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14 And he went and fetched, and brought them to his mother and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Ja

cob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck. 17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thòu, my son? 19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esàu thy fìrst-born; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me. 21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. 22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed him. 24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esáu ? And he said, I àm. 25 And he said, Bring it neàr to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wìne, and he drank. 26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near, now, and kiss me, my son. 27 And he came near, and kissed him and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine : 29 Let people sèrve thee, and nations, bow down to thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

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30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father; and said unto his father, Let my father arìse, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may blèss me. 32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who àrt thou? And he said, I am thy sòn, thy

first-born, Esàu. 33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, (-)Whò? whère is he that hath taken venìson, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed hìm? yea, and he shall be blessed. 34 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless mè, even me also, O my father! 85 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36 And he said, Is he not rightly named Jacób? he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for sèrvants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? 38 And Esau said unto his father, (−) Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father! And Esau lifted up his voice, and wèpt.

JUDAH'S PLEA BEFORE JOSEPH.

*

GEN. XLIV. -18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh, my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant for thou art even as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one: and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. 21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. 24 And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy ser

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*Not, as often read,-Have ye a father or a brother?-"or" is not disjunctive here.

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