One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 43
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servants together. When he told them
what had happened, his men were
terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called for
Abraham. “What have you done to
us?” he demanded. “What crime have
I committed that deserves treatment
like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one
should ever do what you have done!
10 Whatever possessed you to do such
a thing?”
11 Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This
is a godless place. They will want my
wife and will kill me to get her.’ 12 And
she really is my sister, for we both have
the same father, but different mothers.
And I married her. 13 When God called
me to leave my father’s home and to
travel from place to place, I told her,
‘Do me a favor. Wherever we go, tell
the people that I am your brother.’”
14 Then Abimelech took some of his
sheep and goats, cattle, and male and
female servants, and he p
resented
them to Abraham. He also returned his
wife, Sarah, to him. 15 Then Abimelech
said, “Look over my land and choose
any place where you would like to
live.” 16 And he said to Sarah, “Look, I
am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces
of silver* in the presence of all these
witnesses. This is to compensate you
for any wrong I may have done to you.
This will settle any claim against me,
and your reputation is cleared.”
17 Then Abra
ham prayed to God,
and God healed Abimelech, his wife,
and his female servants, so they could
have children. 18 For the Lord had
caused all the women to be infertile
because of what happened with Abra
ham’s wife, Sarah.
21:1 The
Lord kept his word and did for
Sarah exactly what he had promised.
2 She became pregnant, and she gave
birth to a son for Abraham in his old
age. This happened at just the time
God had said it would. 3 And Abra
ham named their son Isaac. 4 Eight
days after Isaac was born, Abraham
circumcised him as God had commanded. 5 Abraham was 100 years old
when Isaac was born.
January 9
6 And
Sar
ah declared, “God has
brought me laughter.* All who hear
about this will laugh with me. 7 Who
would have said to Abraham that Sar
ah would nurse a baby? Yet I have
given Abraham a son in his old age!”
8 When I
saac grew up and was
about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. 9 But Sarah saw Ishmael—the
son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant H
agar—making fun of her son,
Isaac.* 10 So she turned to Abraham
and demanded, “Get rid of that slave
woman and her son. He is not going
to share the inheritance with my son,
Isaac. I won’t have it!”
11 This upset Abra
ham very much
because Ishmael was his son. 12 But
God told Abraham, “Do not be upset
over the boy and your servant. Do
whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is
the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 13 But I will also
make a nation of the descendants of
Hagar’s son because he is your son,
too.”
14 So 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. 16 Then
she went and sat down by herself
about a hundred yards* away. “I d
on’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. 18 Go 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.
20 And God was with the boy as he
grew up in the wilderness. He became
a skillful archer, 21 and he settled in
