in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother
took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the
captain of his host, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with thee in
all that thou doest: now therefore swear {40} unto me here by God that
thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's
son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou
shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned."

And Abraham said, "I will swear."

And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which
Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, "I
know not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither
yet heard I of it, but to-day."

And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and
they two made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock
by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, "What mean these seven
ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?"

And he said, "These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that
it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well."

Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware
both of them. So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: and Abimelech
rose up, and Phicol, the captain of his host, and they returned into
the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in
Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting
God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

{41}

THE TESTING OF ABRAHAM.

_God Provides the Sacrifice_.

And it came to pass after these things, that God proved Abraham, and
said to him, "Abraham!"

And he said, "Here am I."

And he said, "Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even
Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a
burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took
two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the
wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of
which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes,
and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, "Abide
ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will
worship, and come again to you."

And Abraham took the wood of the b