Pgs. 80-88

Ch. 23-25

SECTION V.

CHAIYEY SARAH.

 

XXIII. AND the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryath‑arba, which is Hebron, in the land of Kenaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to lament her. And Abraham rose up from the presence of his dead, and spake with the sons of Hittah, saying, I am a guest and a sojourner with you: give me the possession of a sepulchre with you, that I may bury my dead from before me. And the sons of Hittah answered Abraham, saying to him, Receive from us Ribbona; a prince before the Lord art thou among us; in the best of our sepulchres bury thy dead. No man of us will refuse his sepulchre to thee for the burial of thy dead. And Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the sons of Hittah. And he spake with them, saying, If you are willing in your minds that I should bury my dead from before me, receive from me, and request[1] for me of Ephron bar Zochar that he will give me the Double Cavern,[2] which is in the side of his field: for the full amount (shelim) of silver he shall give it to me among you for the possession of a sepulchre. But Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of Hittah; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham before the sons of Hittah, of all entering the gate of the city, saying, No, my lord; receive of me; I will present to thee the field and the cavern which is in it; to thee will I present it; in sight of the sons of my people will I present it to thee. Bury thy dead. And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. And he spake with Ephron before the people of the land, saying, Nevertheless, if thou wilt do me a grace, receive from me; I will give money for the field; take of me, and I will bury my dead there. And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, My lord, receive of me: the land is worth four hundred sileen of silver; between me and thee what is it? Bury thy dead. And Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver of which be had spoken before the sons of Hittah, four hundred sileen of silver, which is received in merchandise in every city.[3] And Ephron confirmed the field in which is the double cavern which is before Mamre; the field, and the cavern that is therein, and all the trees which were in the field, in all its boundaries round about, to Abraham, for a purchase, in the sight[4] of the sons of Hitah, of all entering the gate of the city. And after this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the double cavern of the field which is before Mamre, that is Hebron, in the land of Kenaan. And the field and the cavern which is in it were confirmed to Abraham for the possession of a sepulchre from the sons of Hittah.

 

XXIV. And Abraham was old, (and) advanced in days, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who had authority over all which was his, Put now thy hand under my thigh, and I will adjure thee by the Word of the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou wilt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kenaanaee among whom I dwell. But to my country and to my kindred thou wilt go, and take a wife for my son Izhak. And the servant said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to come after me to this land,‑returning am I to return thy son to the land from which thou hast gone forth? And Abraham said to him, Take care that thou return not my son thither; the Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my birth, and who spake to me, and sware to me, saying, I will give thee this land, will send His angel before thee, and thou wilt take a wife for my son from thence. And if the woman be not willing to come after thee, thou shalt be absolved from this my oath; only cause not my son to return thither. And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter. And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his lord and went. And all the goods of his master were in his hand. And he arose and went to Aram, which is upon Phrath, the river, to the city of Nachor. And he made the camels rest without the city at a well of waters in the evening time, at the time when they came forth to fill. And he said, Lord God of my master Abraham, let it, I pray, be opportune with me this day, and deal thou graciously with my master Abraham. Behold, I stand by the fountain of waters, and the daughters of the men of the city will come forth to draw water. Let the maiden to whom I shall say, Reach thy waterpot, I pray, that I may drink; and she say, Drink, and I will also give thy camels drink,‑be she whom Thou hast prepared for Thy servant, for Izhak: and in this I shall know that Thou hast dealt graciously with my master. And it was while he had not ceased to speak that, behold, Revekah came forth, (she) who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcha, wife of Nachor, brother of Abraham, and her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the maiden was very fair to behold; a virgin, and man had not known her; and she descended to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant hasted to her presence; and said, Let me taste, I pray, a little water from thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, Ribboni; and she made haste, and held her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him to drink. And when she had ended giving him drink, she said, For thy camels also I will draw, until they shall have enough to drink. And she hastened and poured out her pitcher into the place of watering, and ran again to the well to fill, and she filled for all his camels . And the man wondered at her, gazing silently, to know whether the Lord had prospered his way or not. And it was when the camels had drunk enough, the man took a ring (qadasha) of gold weighing a shekel, and two bracelets (sherin) for the hand weighing ten sileen of gold. And he said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray, whether there be room in thy father's house sufficient for us to lodge? And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcha, whom she bare to Nachor. And she said to him, There is much straw and provender with us, also room enough to lodge. And the man kneeled, and worshipped before the Lord, and said, Blessed be the Lord the God of my master Abraham, who hath not withheld His grace and His truth from my master; and me hath the Lord led in a right way to the house of my master's brother. And the maiden ran and showed these things to her mother's house. And Revekah had a brother whose name was Laban; and Laban ran to the man without at the fountain. And it was when he saw the ring and the bracelets upon the hands of his sister, and heard the words of Revekah his sister, saying, As this spake the man with me, that he came to the man, and, behold, he stood by the camels at the fountain; and he said, Enter, blessed of the Lord;[5] why standest thou without? and I have a prepared house and a proper place for the camels. And the man entered the house, and he loosed the camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the feet of the men who were with him. And they set before him to eat. And he said, I will not eat until I have spoken my words. And he said, Speak. And he said, I am a servant of Abraham; and the Lord hath blessed my master much, and increased, and hath given to him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, servants and handmaidens, camels and asses. And Sarah the wife of my master bare a son to my master after she was old, and he hath given to him all that he hath. And my master adjured me, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife for my son from the daughters of Kenaan in whose land I dwell; but thou shalt go to my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son. And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not come after me. And he said to me, The Lord before whom I worship will send His angel with thee, and will prosper thy way, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father's house. Then shalt thou be absolved from my oath when thou hast gone to my kindred: and if they will not give unto thee, thou shalt be absolved from my oath. And I came this day to the fountain, and I said, Lord God of my master Abraham, if now it is pleasing before thee to prosper the way in which I go, behold, I stand at the fountain of waters, and a damsel may come forth to fill; and I will say to her, Give me to drink, I entreat, a little water from thy pitcher; and she shall say to me, Both for thee and thy camels also I will fill,‑let her be the wife whom the Lord hath ordained for my master's son. And I had not left speaking in my heart, when, behold, Revekah came forth, with her pitcher upon her shoulder, and went down to the fountain and filled. And I said to her, Let me now drink. And she hastened and let down her pitcher, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels also drink. And I drank, and the camels also she watered. And I asked her and said, Whose daughter art thou? and she said, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nachor, whom Milcha bare to him. And I set an ornament on her face, and bracelets upon her hand, and bowed down and worshipped before the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham who had led me in a true way, to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. And now, if you will act with goodness and truth with my master, show me; and if not, I will turn to the right or to the left. And Laban answered, and Bethuel, and said, From before the Lord the word hath come forth: we have no power to say to thee either evil or good. Behold, Revekah is before thee; take (her) and go; and let her be the wife of thy master's son, as the Lord hath spoken. And it was, when the servant of Abraham heard these words, he worshipped on the earth before the Lord. And the servant brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold and vestments, and gave to Revekah, and presents gave he to her brother and to her mother. And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him, and they lodged and arose in the morning. And he said, Send me to my master. And her brother said, and her mother, Let the maiden abide with us a season of time, or ten months; after that she shall go. And he said to them, Keep me not back: the Lord will direct my way, and I will proceed to my master. And they said, We will call the maiden, and hear what she will say. And they called Revekah, and said to her, Wilt thou go with this man? and she said, I will go. And they dismissed Revekah their sister, and her nurse, and the servant of Abraham, and his men. And they blessed Revekah, and said to her, Thou art our sister; be thou (multiplied) unto thousands and myriads, and may thy children inherit the cities of those who hate them. And Revekah arose, and her maidens; and they rode upon camels, and went after the man. And the servant took Revekah and went. And Izhak ascended in coming from the well over which the Angel of Life (malak qayama, " the Eternal Angel") had appeared; and he dwelt in the land of the south. And Izhak went forth to pray in the field, at the presence of the evening; and he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, the camels came. And Revekah lifted up her eyes, and saw Izhak; and she bowed herself on the camel. And she said to the servant, Who is the man who is walking in the field to meet us? And the servant said, He is my master. And she took a mantle and covered herself. And the servant recounted to Izhak all the things which he had done. And Izhak brought her to the tabernacle: and he saw, and, behold, her works were right as the works of Sarah his mother. And he took Revekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Izhak was comforted after his mother.

 

XXV. And Abraham added, and took a wife, and her name was Keturah; and she bare to him Zimran, and Yokshan, and Medan, and Midyan, and Yeshbach, and Shuvach. And Yokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan; and the sons of Dedan have been in camps and tabernacles and islands.[6] And the sons of Midyan, Eipha, and Epher, and Hanok, and Abidah, and Eldaah: all these the sons of Keturah. And Abraham gave all that he had unto Izhak. But to the sons of the concubine of Abraham gave Abraham portions, and sent them from his son Izhak, while he yet lived, eastward in the land of the sunrise. And these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham that he lived, an hundred and seventy and five years. And Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, aged, and full of days; and he was gathered unto his people. And Izhak and Ishmael his sons buried him in the twofold cave in the field of Ephron bar Zochar, the Hittah, which is before Mamre; the field which Abraham bought from the sons of Hittah: there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. And it was after the death of Abraham that the Lord blessed Izhak his son, and Izhak dwelt at the well over which the Eternal Angel had appeared. And these are the generations of Ishmael bar Abraham, whom Hagar the Mizretha, the handmaid of Sarah, bare to Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by their names in their generations. The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Duma, and Massa; Hadad, and Thema, Yetoor, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names in their villages and their towns, twelve chiefs of their peoples.[7] And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years. And he expired and died, and was gathered to his people. And they have dwelt from Havilah unto Hagra, which looketh toward Mizraim, reaching unto Athoor. In the presence of all his brethren he dwelt.

 

 

[1] Sam. Vers. "consult with."

[1] Mearath Kaphelta. Hebrew, Mearath hamakphela, "the double cave;" root, kaphal, "to couple."

[1] Or, "province."

[1] "By the testimony of."

[1] Sam. Vers. "blessed of the Lord who comest."

[1] Sam. Vers. "were Ritorim and Amshakim and Amanim."

[1] Sam. Vers. "according to their elevations."

 



[1] Sam. Vers. "consult with."

[2] Mearath Kaphelta. Hebrew, Mearath hamakphela, "the double cave;" root, kaphal, "to couple."

[3] Or, "province."

[4] "By the testimony of."

[5] Sam. Vers. "blessed of the Lord who comest."

[6] Sam. Vers. "were Ritorim and Amshakim and Amanim."

[7] Sam. Vers. "according to their elevations."