NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 36
J A N U A R Y
14So
9
Abraham got up early the next
morning, prepared food and a container
of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s
shoulders. Then he sent her away with
their son, and she wandered aimlessly in
the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water was gone, she put
the boy in the shade of a bush. 16Then
she went and sat down by herself about
a hundred yards* away. “I don’t want to
watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst
into tears.
17 But God heard the boy crying, and
the angel of God called to Hagar from
heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be
afraid! God has heard the boy crying as
he lies there. 18Go to him and comfort
him, for I will make a great nation from
his descendants.”
19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and
she saw a well full of water. She quickly
filled her water container and gave the
boy a drink.
20And God was with the boy as he
grew up in the wilderness. He became a
skillful archer, 21 and he settled in the
wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from
the land of Egypt.
22About this time, Abimelech came
with Phicol, his army commander, to
visit Abraham. “God is obviously with
you, helping you in everything you do,”
Abimelech said. 23 “Swear to me in
God’s name that you will never deceive
me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now
swear that you will be loyal to me and to
this country where you are living as a
foreigner.”
24Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!”
25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s
servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.
26“This is the first I’ve heard of it,”
Abimelech answered. “I have no idea
who is responsible. You have never
complained about this before.”
27 Abraham then gave some of his
sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech,
and they made a treaty. 28But Abraham
32
also took seven additional female
lambs and set them off by themselves.
29Abimelech asked, “Why have you set
these seven apart from the others?”
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept
these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” 31Then he
named the place Beersheba (which
means “well of the oath”), because that
was where they had sworn the oath.
32 After making their covenant at
Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol,
the commander of his army, and they
returned home to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a
tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there
he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal
God.* 34And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long
time.
22:1Some
time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2“Take your son, your only son—yes,
Isaac, whom you love so much—and go
to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice
him as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains, which I will show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up
early. He saddled his donkey and took
two of his servants with him, along with
his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood
for a fire for a burnt offering and set out
for the place God had told him about.
4On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the
distance. 5“Stay here with the donkey,”
Abraham told the servants. “The boy
and I will travel a little farther. We will
worship there, and then we will come
right back.”
6So Abraham placed the wood for the
burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the
knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and
said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“We have the fire and the wood,” the
boy said, “but where is the sheep for the
burnt offering?”
