And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, "Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: and it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee."

And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. And the princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and heasses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she-asses, and camels.

And Yahweh plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, "What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, 'She is my sister'? So that I took her to be my wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way."

And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him: and they brought him on the way, and his wife, and all that he had.

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he went on his journeys from the South even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Ai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of Yahweh.

And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left."

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the Plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar. So Lot chose him all the Plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east; and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Yahweh exceedingly.

And Yahweh said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, "Lift up now thine eyes; and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it: for unto thee will I give it."

And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Yahweh.

After these things the word of Yahweh came unto Abram in a vision, saying, "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." And Abram said, "O Yahweh, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Dammesek Eliezer?" And Abram said, "Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir."

And behold, the word of Yahweh came unto him, saying, "This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir."

And he brought him forth abroad, and said, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to tell them: " and he said unto him, "So shall thy seed be."

And he believed in Yahweh; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, "I am Yahweh that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it." And he said, "O Yahweh, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" And he said unto him, "Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

And he said unto Abram, "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great substance. But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full."

And it came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. In that day, Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite."

And Sarai had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, "Behold now, Yahweh hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, "My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: Yahweh judge between me and thee." But Abram said unto Sarai, "Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes." And Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.

And the angel of Yahweh found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou?" And she said, "I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai." And the angel of Yahweh said unto her,

Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh hath heard thy affliction. And he shall be as a wild-ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." And she called the name of Yahweh that spake unto her, "Thou art a God that seeth: for," she said, "Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?"

Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

And Yahweh appeared unto Abram by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood over against him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, "My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on: forasmuch as ye are come to your servant."

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And they said, "So do, as thou hast said." And Abram hastened into the tent unto Sarai, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes." And Abram ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

And they said unto him, "Where is Sarai thy wife?" And he said, "Behold, in the tent." And he said, "I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarai thy wife shall have a son." And Sarai heard in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abram and Sarai were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarai after the manner of women. And Sarai laughed within herself, saying, "After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" And Yahweh said unto Abram, "Wherefore did Sarai laugh, saying, 'Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?' Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarai shall have a son." Then Sarai denied, saying, " I laughed not"; for she was afraid. And he said, "Nay; but thou didst laugh."

And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abram went with them to bring them on the way. Yahweh said, "Shall I hide from Abram that which I do; seeing that Abram shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do justice and judgment; to the end that Yahweh may bring upon Abram, that which he hath spoken of him."

And Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 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." And the men turned from thence and went toward Sodom; but Abram stood yet before Yahweh.

And Abram drew near, and said "Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"