Noah lived for a long time after the great flood, and died of no illness at the age of 950. His three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, all married and had children, and they "became fruitful and multiplied, and filled the earth," as God the Lord had blessed. Their descendants were scattered throughout the land, each according to his clan and tongue.
Shem’s descendants Terah had three sons, the eldest son Abram (later called Abraham), the second son Nahor, and the third son Haran. Haran died young, leaving behind his son Lot. Abram took a wife named Sarai (later called Sarah) and Nahor took a wife named Milcah. Terah intended to move his family to Canaan, which was in line with Jehovah's wish. He walked from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran and settled there for a while. Terah died there when he was 205 years old.
God, Jehovah, loved and trusted Abram, and advised him to move south with concern: "Go to the place I show you, and I will bless you and make you the lord of a great nation and make you famous. All over the sea. Whoever blesses you will be rewarded with good things; whoever curses you will be rewarded with evil rewards. All the nations of the earth will be blessed by you."
Abram according to this. Under the guidance of Jehovah, he took his wife Sarai, nephew Lot, and more than 300 slaves and warriors, like an army, toward the western front of Canaan (later called Palestine). Not long after they arrived in Canaan, they encountered a great famine and had to move south to Egypt.
Abram temporarily sojourned in Gerar, between Kadesh and Shur, and deliberately called his wife Sarai his sister for safety. The ministers of King Abimelech of Gerar saw that Sarai was as beautiful as a fairy and brought her into the palace. Abimelech favored Sarai and treated Abram well, giving him many slaves and countless livestock and property.
On the night Sarai entered the palace, God Jehovah appeared in Abimelech’s dream and warned him: “You and your family are in great danger because you want to occupy the land of your husband. Wife!”
Abimelech cried out to God: “Lord, the man claimed that this beautiful woman was his sister, and the beautiful woman also admitted that the woman was his brother. . Besides, I have not been close to her, how can you punish my whole family?”
God recognized Abimelech’s “good heart” and advised him to return Sarai. Abimelech summoned Abram and said to him, "Why did you lie and harm others? You almost caused great disaster to me and my whole family!"
Abram's clever defense: "I made a mistake. I thought the people here did not fear God and might have killed me because the beautiful Sarai was my wife. In fact, we were half-brothers before we got married, so it makes sense to say that Sarai was my sister.” Don't blame Abram anymore. Let him take away Sarai and the servants, maids, livestock, and property that were given to him before and after. They returned to Canaan, worked hard to expand their pastures, and worked hard to create a glorious career.
In Bethel, Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen were each their own masters, fighting for pasture. Abram advised his nephew: "Both close relatives should live in peace and harmony, and do not allow your subordinates to start a civil war." Lot was reasonable and readily agreed to the elders' suggestion of "separation." The two successfully reached an agreement: Lot chose the great plain of the Jordan River Valley and moved eastward, while the rest of the land belonged to Abram. Under God's inspiration, Abram moved his tent to live in the oak tree of Mamre in Hebron. As always, he built an altar and offered sacrifices to thank God for his happy new home. He also wished his nephew Lot a happy life in his new home, that all his wishes would come true, and that both humans and animals would prosper.
Unforeseen circumstances come and go, and people have misfortunes and misfortunes. Lot’s peaceful and happy life in his new home was short-lived. During the war between the powerful King Elam and his army against Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his family were taken away as "prisoners of war" by the red-eyed soldiers.
When the bad news came, Abram was very concerned about the plundered Lot and his family. He immediately gathered more than 300 strong soldiers, attacked the camp of King Elam, and took back Lot's family and all their belongings. .
When Abram triumphed, Melchizedek, king of Salem (that is, Jerusalem), came out with wine and bread to welcome him, and blessed the victor: "May the Lord of the kingdom and the earth, the most high and most majestic God, bless you. Abram, praise be to the Most High God for delivering his enemies into your hands." Abram was delighted when he heard these good words, and happily rewarded the wheat with a tenth of the victory. Chizedek.
Abram lived in Canaan for ten years, but Sarai still had no children. Under Sarai's arrangement, Abramna took the Egyptian slave girl Hagar as his concubine. When Hagar became pregnant, she developed pride and prejudice and discriminated against Sarai, who had no children. Sarai was filled with jealousy, and with Abram's consent, she abused Hagar in every possible way, and Hagar had no choice but to escape.
The angel was commanded by God to comfort Hagar and convince her to obey Sarai. Hagar returned to Abram and Sarai and gave birth to a son, Shimael. From then on, Abram, his wife, concubines, and the whole family lived in peace and harmony.
When Abram was 99 years old, Sarai was also 90 years old. God Jehovah appeared in front of Abram, indicating that he would continue to bless his family and make a covenant with him: 1. Abram changed his name to Abraham (meaning "father of many nations"), and Sarai changed her name to Sarah (meaning "princess" or "Queen"); 2. Their men must be "circumcised", and all their children and grandchildren should be so; Sarah will give birth to a son at the age of 90, and she can be named Isaac (meaning "laughter"). Abraham bowed to the ground and thanked him, with a smile on his face.
At dusk one day, the bright sun set behind the light blue ridge. Abraham sat in front of the tent and meditated, smiling as he recalled God's gift to Sarah in giving birth to a son in her old age. He looked up and saw that the three people walking on the road were very tired, so he warmly invited them into the tent to rest, and allowed them to eat and wash their feet in the tent. It was getting late, and the three of them had to go on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham thus understood that the three strangers were three angels, one of whom was God, Jehovah. Because after God’s investigation, he determined that Sodom and Gomorrah were sinful and full of evil and deserved to be destroyed. Sodom and Gomorrah were in danger.
Abraham showed great kindness and interceded for the people of the two cities, praying to God not to destroy a large number of innocent people because of a few sinners. After many requests, God promised Abraham: "Even if there are only ten righteous people, Sodom and Gomorrah will not be destroyed."
The two cities are facing the final "judgment", and two angels pretend to be When the "guests" came to Sodom, Abraham's nephew Lot entertained them warmly. The people of Sodom poured into Lot's house from all directions and surrounded the "guest"'s house. These men, old and young, were aggressive and shouted loudly: "Where are the guests who came to your house tonight? Hand them over quickly and let them accompany us to sleep and let everyone play!" Luo De came out to offer some kind words and was willing to donate money. Two daughters were given to replace the "two guests" and their "wish" was followed. The crowd did not listen to Lot's advice and deliberately pushed Lot away, trying to break down the door and capture the "guest". The two angels blocked the crowd's attack, urging and pulling Lot, his wife and daughter to escape that night.
God was angry and sent down brimstone and fire from heaven, burning Sodom and Gomorrah, wiping out the inhabitants of the two cities and everything that grew on the earth. At dawn, Abraham got up early in the morning and stood on a high place to look at the two cities and the entire plain. It was like a kiln, with smoke rising up and a scorched earth. He thanked God for rescuing his nephew Lot, feared God more, and believed in God more.
Jehovah fulfilled his previous promise to Abraham and made Sarah pregnant. When Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah gave birth to a son for her long-awaited husband. They obeyed God's will and named their child Isaac. God gave them "laughing," and everyone who knew about it also "laughed" with them.
Isaac gradually grew up, became smart, lively and lovely, and became the apple of Abraham's eye. In order to test Abraham more severely, God clearly said when he summoned him: "Take your only son Isaac and go to the region of Moriah, set up an altar on the mountain I have designated, and offer your beloved son as a burnt offering."
Abraham followed God's instructions and got up early the next morning with his two servants and Isaac, as well as the wood he had prepared for the burnt offering and the strong and good donkey, and walked to the place directed by God. . On the third day, Abraham saw the place from a distance, and ordered his servants and the donkey to stop there and wait for him and Isaac to meet when they returned from worshiping on the mountain. He tied the wood for the burnt offering to Isaac and took the fire knife with him. The father and son went together and talked while walking.
The son asked the father: "Father, we have fire and a knife in our hands, but we don't know where the lamb for the burnt offering is?"
The father replied: "Son, God has already Prepare the lamb for the burnt offering!" After arriving at his destination, Abraham built an altar, arranged the wood, and placed the bound Isaac on the altar wood. He reached for the knife, ready to kill him.
At this moment, the angel of the Lord called out from heaven: "Abraham, Abraham, stop your actions immediately and do not harm this child! Now, your actions have proven that you fear God and do not Because Isaac is your only son, you are not willing to sacrifice it to God.”
Abraham looked up and saw a ram with its horns fastened in a dense tree. Immediately he seized the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of Isaac. Since the goat was prepared by God, Abraham named the place "Jehovah Jireh" (which means "the Lord will surely provide").
The Lord was very satisfied with Abraham’s pious behavior and said to him: “I will bless you greatly and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the beach; your descendants will fight against your enemies, Victory in every battle. All the nations of the earth ask me to bless them and their descendants, just as I have blessed you and your descendants, because you have obeyed my voice with all your heart.
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