And the <sc>Lordsc> God said, &#8220;Now<n id="1" /> that the man has become like one of us,<n id="2" /> knowing<n id="3" /> good and evil, he must not be allowed<n id="4" /> to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.&#8221;

So the <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth &#8211; everything from humankind to animals,<n id="1" /> including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.&#8221;p>

And the <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;If as one people all sharing a common language<n id="1" /> they have begun to do this, then<n id="2" /> nothing they plan to do will be beyond them.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Abram was 99 years old,<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> appeared to him and said,<n id="2" /> &#8220;I am the sovereign God.<n id="3" /> Walk<n id="4" /> before me<n id="5" /> and be blameless.<n id="6" />

<p class="bodytext">God said, &#8220;No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.<n id="1" /> I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual<n id="2" /> covenant for his descendants after him.

<p class="bodytext">He said, &#8220;Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant&#8217;s house. Stay the night<n id="1" /> and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.&#8221;<n id="2" /> &#8220;No,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;we&#8217;ll spend the night in the town square.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters.<n id="1" /> He said, &#8220;Quick, get out of this place because the <sc>Lordsc> is about to destroy<n id="2" /> the city!&#8221; But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them.<n id="3" />p>

When they had brought them outside, they<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Run<n id="2" /> for your lives! Don&#8217;t look<n id="3" /> behind you or stop anywhere in the valley!<n id="4" /> Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then in the dream God replied to him, &#8220;Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience.<n id="1" /> That is why I have kept you<n id="2" /> from sinning against me and why<n id="3" /> I did not allow you to touch her.

Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, &#8220;What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom?<n id="1" /> You have done things to me that should not be done!&#8221;<n id="2" />

But God said to Abraham, &#8220;Do not be upset<n id="1" /> about the boy or your slave wife. Do<n id="2" /> all that Sarah is telling<n id="3" /> you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted.<n id="4" />

<p class="bodytext">But God heard the boy&#8217;s voice.<n id="1" /> The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, &#8220;What is the matter,<n id="2" /> Hagar? Don&#8217;t be afraid, for God has heard<n id="3" /> the boy&#8217;s voice right where he is crying.

&#8220;I do not know who has done this thing,&#8221; Abimelech replied. &#8220;Moreover,<n id="1" /> you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.&#8221;p>

God<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Take your son &#8211; your only son, whom you love, Isaac<n id="2" /> &#8211; and go to the land of Moriah!<n id="3" /> Offer him up there as a burnt offering<n id="4" /> on one of the mountains which I will indicate to<n id="5" /> you.&#8221;p>

&#8220;Do not harm the boy!&#8221;<n id="1" /> the angel said.<n id="2" /> &#8220;Do not do anything to him, for now I know<n id="3" /> that you fear<n id="4" /> God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The servant asked him, &#8220;What if the woman is not willing to come back with me<n id="1" /> to this land? Must I then<n id="2" /> take your son back to the land from which you came?&#8221;p>

saying &#8220;Praised be the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love<n id="1" /> for my master! The <sc>Lordsc> has led me<n id="2" /> to the house<n id="3" /> of my master&#8217;s relatives!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, &#8220;She is my sister.&#8221;<n id="1" /> He was afraid to say, &#8220;She is my wife,&#8221; for he thought to himself,<n id="2" /> &#8220;The men of this place will kill me to get<n id="3" /> Rebekah because she is very beautiful.&#8221;p>

Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac<n id="1" /> named it<n id="2" /> Rehoboth,<n id="3" /> saying, &#8220;For now the <sc>Lordsc> has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.&#8221;p>

The <sc>Lordsc> appeared to him that night and said, &#8220;I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.&#8221;