what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy the whole city because five are lacking?” He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Before they could lie down to sleep, all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house.

Then the two visitors said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? Get them out of this place

He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.

Later the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby to have sexual relations with us, according to the way of all the world.

For the Lord had caused infertility to strike every woman in the household of Abimelech because he took Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.

(Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate of his city –

Abraham said to his servant, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh

She quickly emptied her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels.

My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him when she was old, and my master has given him everything he owns.

His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to Egypt all the way to Asshur. They settled away from all their relatives.

So the Philistines took dirt and filled up all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using your name and that of your descendants.

Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me.”

“We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.”

When the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches.

He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

(Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them.

Esau then asked, “What did you intend by sending all these herds to meet me?” Jacob replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.”