<p class="bodytext">When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, &#8220;We cannot hide from our<n id="1" /> lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land.

And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">But look,<n id="1" /> the word of the <sc>Lordsc> came to him: &#8220;This man<n id="2" /> will not be your heir,<n id="3" /> but instead<n id="4" /> a son<n id="5" /> who comes from your own body will be<n id="6" /> your heir.&#8221;<n id="7" />

The <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> took him outside and said, &#8220;Gaze into the sky and count the stars &#8211; if you are able to count them!&#8221; Then he said to him, &#8220;So will your descendants be.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed<n id="1" /> as he said to himself,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Can<n id="3" /> a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old?<n id="4" /> Can Sarah<n id="5" /> bear a child at the age of ninety?&#8221;<n id="6" />

<p class="bodytext">So the <sc>Lordsc> replied, &#8220;If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.&#8221;p>

what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy<n id="1" /> the whole city because five are lacking?&#8221;<n id="2" /> He replied, &#8220;I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Abraham<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;May the Lord not be angry<n id="2" /> so that I may speak!<n id="3" /> What if thirty are found there?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;I will not do it if I find thirty there.&#8221;p>

Then he said to them, &#8220;If you agree<n id="1" /> that I may bury my dead,<n id="2" /> then hear me out.<n id="3" /> Ask<n id="4" /> Ephron the son of Zohar

But if the woman is not willing to come back with you,<n id="1" /> you will be free<n id="2" /> from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!&#8221;

You will be free from your oath<n id="1" /> if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.&#8217;

When I came to the spring today, I prayed, &#8216;O <sc>Lordsc>, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful,<n id="1" /> may events unfold as follows:<n id="2" />

But the children struggled<n id="1" /> inside her, and she said, &#8220;If it is going to be like this, I&#8217;m not so sure I want to be pregnant!&#8221;<n id="2" /> So she asked the <sc>Lord,sc><n id="3" />

so that<n id="1" /> you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed<n id="2" /> you, but have always treated you well<n id="3" /> before sending you away<n id="4" /> in peace. Now you are blessed by the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

Then Isaac said to Jacob, &#8220;Come closer so I can touch you,<n id="1" /> my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.&#8221;<n id="2" />

He was afraid and said, &#8220;What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!&#8221;p>

&#8220;If Esau attacks one camp,&#8221;<n id="1" /> he thought,<n id="2" /> &#8220;then the other camp will be able to escape.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

&#8220;No longer will your name be Jacob,&#8221; the man told him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;but Israel,<n id="2" /> because you have fought<n id="3" /> with God and with men and have prevailed.&#8221;p>

Then his brothers asked him, &#8220;Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?&#8221;<n id="1" /> They hated him even more<n id="2" /> because of his dream and because of what he said.<n id="3" />p>

Then they brought the special tunic to their father<n id="1" /> and said, &#8220;We found this. Determine now whether it is your son&#8217;s tunic or not.&#8221;p>