e being turned into a pillar of salt for daring to
look back on the burning cities. He lived with his two daughters, who
became the guilty mothers of the Moabites and the Ammonites, who settled
on the hills to the east of Jordan and the Dead Sea.

(M49) Before the birth of Isaac, Abraham removed to the South, and dwelt
in Gerah, a city of the Philistines, and probably for the same reason that
he had before sought the land of Egypt. But here the same difficulty
occurred as in Egypt. The king, Abimelech, sent and took Sarah, supposing
she was merely Abraham's sister; and Abraham equivocated and deceived in
this instance to save his own life. But the king, warned by God in a
dream, restored unto Abraham his wife, and gave him sheep, oxen, men
servants and women servants, and one thousand pieces of silver, for he
knew he was a prophet. In return Abraham prayed for him, and removed from
him and his house all impediments for the growth of his family. The king,
seeing how Abraham was prospered, made a covenant with him, so that the
patriarch lived long among the Philistines, worshiping "the everlasting
God."

(M50) Then followed the great trial of his faith, when requested to
sacrifice Isaac. And when he was obedient to the call, and did not
withhold his son, his only son, from the sacrificial knife, having faith
that his seed should still possess the land of Canaan, he was again
blessed, and in the most emphatic language. After this he dwelt in
Beersheba.

(M51) At the age of 120 Sarah died at Hebron, and Abraham purchased of
Ephron the Hittite, the cave of Machpelah, with a field near Mamre, for
four hundred shekels of silver, in which he buried his wife.

(M52) Shortly after, he sought a wife for Isaac. But he would not accept
any of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom he dwelt, but sent his
eldest and most trusted servant to Mesopotamia, with ten loaded camels, to
secure one of his own people. Rebekah, the grand-daughter of Nahor, the
brother of Abraham, was the favored damsel whom the Lord provided. Her
father and brother accepted the proposal of Abraham's servant, and loaded
with presents, jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and raiment, the
Mesopotamian lady departed from her country and her father's house, with
the benediction of the whole family. "Be thou the mother of thousands of
millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them."
Thus was "Isaac comforted after his mother's death."