him at the vale of Shaveh, now called the King's Vale.

18. Melchizedek, also, the king of Salem, (Zech. vi. 13.) brought bread and wine to Abram; and, being priest of the most high God, he blessed him, 19. Saying, blessed be Abram of the most high God, the owner of the heavens and the earth; 20. And blessed be the most high God, who hath deliv ered thine enemies into thine hand: to him Abram gave the tithe of all. 21. The king of Sodom then said to Abram, Give me the persons, and keep the wealth to thyself. 22. But Abram replied, I have solemnly vowed to the Eternal, the most high God, the owner of heaven and earth, to take no spoil; 23. Therefore, I will not take the least article of any thing belonging to thee, 24. Save only what the young men have taken to eat; lest thou shouldest say, I have enriched Abram: and the shares of the men that went with me, even Aner, Eschol, and Mamre, let them take their shares.

CHAP. XV.

ABRAM IN A VISION FORSEES HIS POSTERITY'S FATE

AFTER these things the Eternal spoke to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not Abram, I am thy protector, exceeding great shall be thy reward. 2. But Abram said, O Eternal, my Lord, what mayest thou give me, seeing I continue childless, and I must leave all to my domestic steward, Eliezer the Damascene; 3. For, as I have no seed, a domestic born in my house must be mine heir. 4. But instantly the Eternal's word came to him, saying, this shall not be thine heir, but one sprung from thine own body, 5. Then he said, come out of thy tent, and behold if thou canst number the stars, saying, So shall thy seed be. 6. Abram believed the Eternal, who imputed it to him for righteousness (Rom. iv. 3.); 7. And said to him, I am the

Eternal, who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land for an inheritance.

8. But he replied, O Eternal, my Lord, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9. Then he said to him, bring me a beeve, a she goat, a ram, all of three years old, a turtle dove, and a young pigeon. 10. All these he brought; and having killed and divided them into halves, the fowls excepted, he laid the divided parts opposite one to another: 11. And when birds of prey came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.

12. But when the sun's light departed, Abram fell into a trance, and being seized with a great and darksome horror, 13. It was said to him, verily thy seed shall sojourn in a strange land, and be held in bondage there, and afflicted four hundred years; 14. But I will judge that nation which enslaved them, and afterwards they shall come out of it with great wealth; 15. But thou indeed shalt have gone to thy fathers in peace, and been buried in a good old age. 16. But they shall return hither in the fourth generation; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17. In the evening, when it grew dark, a flash of fire like a lamp, with a smoke like that of a furnace, kindled the pieces. 18. In that same day the Eternal made a covenant with Abram, saying, to thy seed I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. 19. The present posession of the Kenites, the Kenezites, and Kadmonites, 20. And Hittites, and Perezites, and Hiv.. ites, and Rephaims, 21. And Amorites, and Canaanites, and Girgazites, and Jebusites.

CHAP. XVI.

ABRAM TAKES A SECONDARY WIFE.

SARAI, Abram's wife, being still barren, she having an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar; 2. Said to her husband, lo now, as the Eternal hath made

me barren, I pray thee make my maid thy concu bine-wife, perhaps she may produce us an offspring. Abram hearkened to Sarai; 3. Who gave to him her maid for a wife, after they had dwelt ten years in Canaan. 4. But having conceived, she despised her mistress. 5. Sarai then said to Abram, upon thee heth my wrong: I gave thee my maid for a wife, and when she conceived she despised me; may the Eternal decide in my favour. 6. But Abram said to Sarai, lo, thy maid is subject to thee, restrain her insolence as thou wilt; but when Sarai restrained her, she left her.

7. And the Eternal's angel found her in the wilderness, on the way to Shur, beside a fountain of water. 8. And said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence goest, thou? then she said, I flee from my mistress. 9. But the angel said to her, return to thy mistress; and submit to her. 10. He said also, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, even beyond mumber; 11. For thou art pregnant, and shalt have a son, and call his name Ishmael, because the Eternal heard thy affliction: 12. And he shall be a wild man, and in opposition to every man, and every man shall be against him; but opposite to all his brethren shall he pitch his tents. 13. And she called the name of the Eternal who spake to her, The God of Vision; and said, do I yet live. 14. Wherefore she called it the well of the living God, who seeth me; lo, it is between Cadesh and Bered.

15. So Hagar having returned home, bare to Abram a son, whom he called Ishmael. 16. He was then eighty-six years old.

CHAP. XVI.

A NEW COVENANT GRANTED TO ABRAM,

WHEN Abram was ninety-nine years old, the E ternal again appeared to him, and said, I am God all-sufficient: live a good life; 2. And I will make

a covenant with thee, and multiply thee exceedingly. 3. Abram then fell on his face; and God said to him, 4. I will make thee a father of many nations: 5. Neither shall thy name be any more Abram, (a high father), but Abraham, (a father of multitudes). 6. Thou shalt be very fruitful; for nations and kings shall come of thee. 7. My covenant shall be between me and thee, and thy seed after thee perpetually, to be thine and their God. 8. I will give to thee and them Canaan, wherein thou sojournest, and be perpetually their God. 9, 10, 11. By this covenant to be kept between me and thee, and thy seed, every male child among you shall be circumcised the eighth day for a sign of it; 12. Whether he be thy seed, or procured with thy mo ney from strangers. 13, 14. And the uncircumcised person shall be separated from his people, as having broken my covenant.

15. God said moreover to Abram, thy wife's name shall no longer be Sarai, (my princess,) but Sarah, (a princess of multitudes.) 16. And I will give thee a son of her, whom I will bless; for I will bless her so as to make her a mother of nations; and kings shall come of her.

17. Here Abram fell on his face, smiling; and said in his heart, shall he that is a hundred, or she that is ninety years old, have a child? 18. He said, therefore, that Ishmael máy live before thee, and inherit the promise. 19. But God said, Sarah thy wife shall indeed havé a son whom thou shalt call Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him and his sced perpetually.

20. I have also heard thee for Ishmael, and blessed him to make him fruitful, and multiply exceedingly, and become a great nation: twelve princes shall he beget. 21. But Sarah shall bear to thee a son at this very time next year.

22. Here ended the speech; and the divine vision ascended from Abraham. 23. And in that

very day Abraham circumcised Ishmael his son, and every male in his family, whether born in his house or procured with money, as he was commanded. 24. He was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised; 25. And Ishmael thirteen. 26, 27. So Abraham delayed not to perform God's command.

CHAP. XVIII.

GOD'S PROMISES TO ABRAHAM RENEWED.

ABRAHAM had again a vision of the Eternal, under the oak of Mamre, sitting in his tent-door in the heat of the day. 2. Looking up, he saw three men standing near him: then he ran to meet them, and bowed to them; 3. And (addressing the chief of them, or each of them individually) he said, My Lord, if I have obtained thy favour, pass not by thy servant, I pray thee. 4. Rest, I pray you, under the tree, and let water be brought to bathe your feet; 5. And I will bring some bread to refresh you; for therefore are you come aside to your servant; and after that ye shall go on. Then they said, Do as thou hast spoken.

6. Abraham then hastened into Sarah's tent, and said, Bake quickly three measures of fine meal in cakes. 7. Then he ran to the herd, and brought a tender and good calf, and gave it to a young man, who quickly dressed it: 8. He then set butter and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and the cakes before them, attending them himself, whilst they sate under the tree. 9. Then one of them said, Where is Sarah thy wife? And Abram said, In her own tent. 10. Then he said, I will certainly return at this time next year: Sarah thy wifə also shall have a son; and Sarah heard it in the tent door behind him.

11. Now Abraham and Sarah were far advanced in years; and according to the course of nature she was past the time of procreation; 12. Therefore she

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