AND the glory of the Lord was revealed to him in the valley of Mamre; and he, being ill from the pain of circumcision, sat at the door of the tabernacle in the fervour (or strength) of the day. And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three angels in the resemblance of men were standing before him; (angels) who had been sent from the necessity of three things;--because it is not possible for a ministering angel to be sent for more than one purpose at a time;--one, then, had come to make known to him that Sarah should bear a man-child; one had come to deliver Lot; and one to overthrow Sedom and Amorah. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of the tent, and bowed himself on the earth.

[JERUSALEM. Three angels were sent to our father Abraham; and the three were sent for three things;--because it is not possible that one of the high angels should be sent for more things than one. The first angel was sent to announce to our father Abraham, that, behold, Sarah would bear Izhak; the second angel was sent to deliver Lot from the midst of the overthrow; the third angel was sent to overthrow Sedom and Amorah, Admah and Zeboim. Therefore was there a word of prophecy from before the Lord unto Abraham the Just, and the Word of the Lord was revealed to him in the valley of vision; and he sat in the door of the tabernacle, comforting himself from his circumcision in the fervour (or strength) of the day.]

And he said, I beseech, by the mercies (that are) before Thee, O Lord, if now I have found favour before Thee, that the glory of Thy shekina may not now ascend from Thy servant, until I have set forth provisions under the tree. And I will bring food of bread, that you may strengthen your hearts, and give thanks in the Name of the Word of the Lord, and afterwards pass on. For therefore at the time of repast are you come, and have turned aside to your servant to take food. And they said, Thou hast spoken well; do according to thy word. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said to her, Hasten three measures of flour-meal, mix and make cakes. And unto the flock ran Abraham, and took a calf, tender and fat, and gave to a young man, and hastened to make prepared meats; and he took rich cream and milk and the calf which the young man had made into prepared meats, and set them before them, according to the way and conduct (hilkath) of the creatures of the world; and he served before them, and they sat under the tree; and he quieted himself (to see) whether they would eat.

And they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, she is in the tent. And ONE of them said, Returning I will return to thee in the coming year; and you shall be revived, and, behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah was hearkening at the door of the tent, and Ishmael stood behind her, and marked what the Angel said.

[JERUSALEM. And He said, Returning I will return to thee at that time, to revive you, and, behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a male child. And Sarah was hearkening at the door of the tent, and Ishmael stood behind her.]

But Abraham and Sarah were old, they had mounted (alu) in days, and with Sarah the way of women had ceased. And Sarah wondered in her heart, saying After that I am old shall I have conceptions, and my lord Abraham is old? [JERUSALEM. And Sarah derided in her heart, saying, After that I am old, is it possible to return to the days of my youth, for me to have conception, and Abraham old?] And the Lord said to Abraham, Why hath Sarah so laughed, saying, Can it be in truth that I shall bear, being old? Is it possible to hide anything from before the Lord? At the gracious time I will return to thee, in the time when you shall be revived, and Sarah shall have a son. And Sarah denied and said, I wondered not; for she was afraid. And the Angel said, Fear not: yet in truth thou didst laugh.

And the angels, who had the likeness of men, arose from thence, and the one who had made known the tidings to Sarah ascended to the high heavens; and two of them looked toward Sedom; and Abraham went with them. [JERUSALEM. And they looked towards.] And the Lord said, with His Word, I cannot hide from Abraham that which I am about to do; and it is right that before I do it, I should make it known to him. For Abraham is to be a great and mighty people, and through him shall all the peoples of the earth be blessed. [JERUSALEM. And the Lord with His Word said, Shall I hide from Abraham, My friend, that which I am about to do? Forasmuch as the town of Sedom is among the gifts that I have given to him, it is just that I should not overthrow it, till I have made it known to him.] Because his holiness (piety, chasidutha) is manifest before Me, (and) that he will instruct his sons, and the men of his house after him, to keep the ways that are right before the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him.

And the Lord said to the ministering angels, The cry of Sedom and Amorah, because they oppress the poor, and decree that whosoever giveth a morsel to the needy shall be burned with fire, is therefore great, and their guilt exceedingly weighty. I will now appear, and see whether, as the cry of a damsel torn away, which ascendeth before Me, they have made completion of their sins; (or, whether they have made an end of their sins;) and if they have wrought repentance, shall they not be as (if) innocent before Me? and as if not knowing, I will not punish. [JERUSALEM. Now will I appear and see, according as the cry of the people of Sedom and Amorah hath ascended before Me, whether they have made a complete end. It may be, that some among these sinners do not know that their works of evil are manifest before Me. And if they seek to work repentance, behold, they shall be considered before Me as if those works had not been known.]

And the angels who had the likeness of men, turned thence and went towards Sedom. And Abraham now supplicated mercy for Lot, and ministered in prayer before the Lord. And Abraham prayed and said, Wilt Thou destroy in Thy displeasure the innocent with the guilty? Perhaps there are fifty innocent persons within the city, who pray before Thee,--ten for every city, of all the five cities of Sedom, Amorah, Admah, Zeboim, and Zoar. Wilt Thou in Thy displeasure destroy and not forgive the country, on account of the fifty innocent ones who are in it? Unholy would it be before Thee to do according to this word, to slay the innocent with the guilty, and to make the innocent to be as the guilty! That be unholy with Thee. It cannot be that One who is the Judge of all the earth should not do justice. And the Lord said, If I find in Sedom fifty innocent in the midst of the city who pray before Me, I will forgive all the land on their account. And Abraham responded, and said, I pray for mercy. Behold, now, I have begun to speak before the Lord; I, who am as dust and ashes. Perhaps of the fifty innocent persons, five may be wanting. On account of the five who may be wanting to Zoar, wilt Thou destroy the whole city? And He said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five. And he added yet to speak before Him, and said, Perhaps there may be forty found there; ten for each city of the four cities, and Zoar, whose guilt is lighter, forgive thou for Thy mercy's sake. And he said, I will not make an end for the sake of the forty innocent ones. And he said, Let not the displeasure of the Lord, the Lord of all the world, wax strong against me, and I will speak. Perhaps thirty who pray may be found there, ten for each of the three cities, and Zeboim and Zoar forgive them for Thy mercy's sake. And He said, I will not make an end if I find thirty there. And he said, Imploring mercy, I have now begun to speak before the Lord, the Lord of all the world. Perhaps twenty who pray may be found; ten in each of the two cities, and the three forgive Thou for Thy mercy's sake! And He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the twenty innocent. And he said, I implore mercy before Thee! Let not the anger of the Lord,the Lord of all the world, grow strong, and I will speak only this time. Perhaps ten may be found there; and I and they will pray for mercy upon all the land, and Thou wilt forgive them. And He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the ten who may be innocent. And the majesty of the Lord went up when He had ceased to speak with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

XIX. Two angels came to Sedom at the evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sedom. And Lot saw, and rose up to meet them from the gate of the tabernacle. And he bowed his face to the ground, and said, I beg now, my lords, turn now hither, and enter the house of your servant, and lodge, and wash your feet; and you will arise and proceed on your way. And they said to him, No; for in the street we will lodge. [JERUSALEM. And Lot sat in the gate of Sedom, and he saw them, and ran and saluted them, and bowed with his face to the ground……2. And wash your feet, and wash you in the morning, and go to your tents in peace. And they said to him, No; for in the open place of the city we will lodge.] And he persuaded them earnestly, and they turned aside to be with him; and they entered his house, and he made a repast for the, and prepared unleavened cakes. And it seemed to him as if they did eat. [JERUSALEM. And it appeared as if they ate and drank.]

They had not yet lain down, when the wicked men of the city, the men of Sedom, came round upon the house, from the youth to the old man, all the people throughout. And they cried to Lot, and said to him, Where are the men who entered with thee to-night? Bring them out to us, and we will lie with them. And Lot went out to them to the gate, and shut the door after him. And he said, I pray, my breathren, do not thus wickedly. Behold, now, I have two daughters who have had no dealing with a man; I would now bring even them out to you to do to them as is meet before you, rather than you should do evil to these men, because they have entered in to lodge under the shadow of my roof. [JERUSALEM. 7. And Lot said to them, Wait here a little, till we have besought mercy before the Lord. 8. Who have not known dealing with man.]

And they said, Give up this. And they said, Did not this come alone to sojourn among us? and, behold, he is making himself a judge, and judging the whole of us. But now we will do worse to thee than to them. And they prevailed against the man, against Lot, greatly, and came near, to shatter the door. And the Men stretched forth their hands, and brought Lot unto them in the house, and shut the door. But the men who were at the gate of the house they struck with a suffusion of the eyes, from the young to the old, and they waried themselves to find the gate. [JERUSALEM. With blindness.] And the Men said to Lot, Hast thou yet in this city kinsman or brother? Thy sons-in-law, thy sons and thy daughters, take forth from the place; for the cry of it before the Lord is great, and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went forth, and spake with his sons-in-law who had taken his daughters, and said, Arise, come forth from this place; for the Lord destroyeth the city. But the word was as a wonder, (and he) as a man ranting, in the eyes of his sons-in-law. And at the time that the morning was about to uprise, the angels were urgent upon Lot, saying, Up, take thy wife and thy two daughters who are with you, lest you perish in the condemnation of the inhabitants of the city. But he delayed: and the men laid hold on his hand, and on the hand of his wife, and on the hand of his two daughters, for mercy from the Lord was upon them. And they brought them forth, and set them without the city. And it was that as they led them without, one of them returned into Sedom, to destroy it; and one remained with Lot, and said to him, Be merciful to your life; look not behind you, and stand not in all the plain; to the mountain escape, or you perish. And Lot said to him, I beseech of thee endure with me a little hour, until I have prayed for mercy from before the Lord. [JERUSALEM. 15. And it was at the time of the upcoming of the column of the morning……18. Be steadfast here a little with us until I have besought mercy before the Lord.] Behold, now, thy servant hath found mercy before Thee, and Thou hast multiplied the kindness Thou hast done me in saving my life, and I am not able to escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die. Behold, now, I pray, this city, it is a near habitation, and convenient (for us) to escape thither; and it is small, and the guilt thereof light. I will flee thither, then. Is it not a little one? and my life shall be preserved. And He said, Behold, I have accepted thee in this matter also, that I will not overthrow the city for which thou hast spoken, to destroy it, that thou mayest escape to it. Hasten and flee thither: for I cannot do any thing till thou have entered there. Therefore he called the name of the city Zoar.

The sun had passed the sea, and come forth upon the earth, at the end of three hours, and Lot entered into Zoar.

And the Word of the Lord had caused showers of favour to descend upon Sedom and Amorah, to the intent that they might work repentance, but they did it not: so that they said, Wickedness is not manifest before the Lord. Behold, then, there are now sent down upon them sulphur and fire from before the Word of the Lord from Heaven. [JERUSALEM. 24. And the Word of the Lord Himself had made to descend upon the people of Sedom and Amorah showers of favour, that they might work repentance from their wicked works. But when they saw the showers of favour, they said, So, our wicked works are not manifest before Him. He turned (then), and caused to descend upon them bitumen and fire from before the Lord from the heavens.] And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the herbage of the earth.

And his wife looked after the angel, to know what would be in the end of her father's house, for she was of the daughters of the Sedomaee; and because she sinned by salt (bemilcha) she was manifestly punished; behold, she was made a statue of salt. [JERUSALEM. And because the wife of Lot was of the children of the people of Sedom, she looked behind her, to see what would be the end of her father's house: and, behold, she was made to stand a statue of salt, until the time of the resurrection shall come, when the dead shall arise.]

And Abraham arose in the morning (and went) to the place where he had ministered in prayer before the Lord. And he looked towards Sedom and Amorah, and all the land of the plain, and saw, and, behold, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.

And it was when the Lord destroyed the cities of the plain, that He remembered the righteousness of Abraham, and sent forth Lot from the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities wherein Lot had dwelt.

And Lot went up from Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; because he feared to reside in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cavern, he and his two daughters. And the elder said to the less, Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come to us after the way of the whole earth: [JERUSALEM. And there is not a man in the land who may come with us after the law of all the earth:] come, let us make our father drink wine, and when he is drunken we will lie with him, and raise up sons from our father. And they made their father drink wine that night, and he was drunk. And the elder arose, and lay with her father, nor did he know when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it was the day following, and the elder said to the less, Behold, now, I lay my evening with the father; let us make him drink wine this night also, that he may be drunk; and go thou and lie with him, that we may raise up sons from our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also, and he was drunk, and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not in her lying down nor in her rising up. And the two daughters of Lot became with child by their father. And the elder brought forth a son, and she called his name Moab, because from her father she had conceived. He is the father of the Moabaee unto this day. And the younger also brought forth a son, and she called his name Bar-Ammi, because he was the son of her father. He is the father of the Ammonite people unto this day.

XX. And Abraham went on from thence to the land of the south, and dwelt between Rekam and Chagra, and had his habitation in Gerar. And Abraham said concerning Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelek, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah. [JERUSALEM. King of Arad.] And a word came from before the Lord unto Abimelek, in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou diest, because of the woman whom thou hast carried away, and she a man's wife. But Abimelek had not come nigh to defile her; and he said, Lord, shall the son of a people who hath not sinned, and whom it is right to absolve in the judgment, be killed? Did he not tell me, She is my sister? and did not she also say, He is my brother? In the truthfulness of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this. And the Word of the Lord said to him in a dream, Before Me also it is manifest that in the truthfulness of thy heart thou didst this, and so restrained I thee from sinning before Me; therefore I would not permit thee to come near her. And now let the wife of the man return; for he is a prophet; he will pray for thee, and thou shalt live: but if thou wilt not let her return, know that dying thou shalt die, thou and all who are thine. And Abimelek arose in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these words before them; and the men feared greatly. And Abimelek called Abraham, and said, What hast thou done to us? And in what have I sinned against thee? For thou hadst brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin. Thou hast wrought with me works that are not right. And Abimelek said to Abraham, What hast thou seen, that thou didst this thing? And Abraham said, Because I said in my heart, The fear of the Lord is not in this place, and they will kill me for the sake of my wife. But in truth she is my sister, the daughter of my father's brother, but not of the kindred of my mother; and she became my wife. And it was when they sought to turn me aside to the worship of idols, and I went forth from my father's house, that I said to her, This is the kindness thou shalt do me: in every place to which we come, say concerning me, He is my brother. And Abimelek took sheep, and restored Sarah his wife to him. And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given a thousand sileen of silver to thy brother; behold, they are to thee a veil of the eyes, inasmuch as thou wast hidden from thine husband one night, and I would have seen thee: for were I to give all that I have it would not suffice (or be proportionate). And the words were debated. And Abraham knew that Abimelek had not come near Sarah his wife. [JERUSALEM. And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given a thousand sileen of silver to thy brother; behold, that silver is given to thee as a present, because thou wast hidden from the eyes of Abraham thy husband one night: and of all that I have,--for on behalf of all I am corrected,--behold, were I to give all whatever I have, it would not suffice. Let the words be approved, and may Abraham the Just learn that I have not known thee.] And Abraham prayed before the Lord: and the Lord healed Abimelek and his wife and his concubines, and they were set at large. For the Word of the Lord shutting had shut in displeasure the wombs of all the women of Abimelek's house on account of Sarah the wife of Abraham. [JERUSALEM. closing had closed.]

XXI. And the Lord remembered Sarah according to that which He had said to her; and the Lord wrought a miracle for Sarah like to that for which Abraham had spoken in prayer for Abimelek. [JERUSALEM. And the Lord wrought miracles for Sarah, as He had spoken.] And she conceived, and Sarah bare to Abraham a son, who was like to himself in his age, at the time of which the Lord had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son whom Sarah had borne him Izhak. And Abraham circumcised Izhak his son, when the son of eight days, as the Lord had commanded him. And Abraham was the son of an hundred years when Izhak his son was born to him. And Sarah said, The Lord hath done wondrously for me; all who hear will wonder at me. And she said, How faithful was the messenger who announced to Abraham, and said, Sarah will nurse children, for she shall bring forth a son in her old age! [JERUSALEM. And she said, What was the announcement which announced to my lord Abraham at the beginning, and said, It will be that she will give suck, because she shall bring forth a son in her old age?] And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day when Izhak was weaned. And Sarah observed the son of Hagar the Mizreitha, whom she bare to Abraham, mocking with a strange worship, and bowing to the Lord. [JERUSALEM. And Sarah observed the son of Hagar the Mizreitha, whom she bare to Abraham, doing evil works which are not fitting to be done, mocking in a strange worship.] And she said to Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son: for it is not possible for the son of this handmaid to inherit with my son; and he to make war with Izhak. And the thing was very evil in Abraham's eyes, on account of Ishmael his son, who would practise a strange worship. And the Lord said to Abraham, Let it not be evil in thine eyes on account of the youth who goeth forth from thy nurturning, and of thy handmail whom thou sendest away. Hearken unto all that Sarah saith to thee, because she is a prophetess; for in Izhak shall sons be called unto thee; and this son of the handmaid shall not be genealogized after thee. But the son of the handmaid have I set for a predatory people (le-am leistim), because he is thy son. And Abraham rose up in the morning, and took bread and a cruse of water, and gave to Hagar to bear upon her shoulder, and bound it to her loins, to signify that she was a servant, and the child, and dismissed her with a letter of divorce (be-gitta). And she went, and wandered from the way into the desert which was hard by Beersheba. And it was when they came to the entrance of the desert, they remembered to wander after strange worship; and Ishmael was seized with a burning thirst, and drank of the water till all the water was consumed from the cruse. And he was dried up, and withered in his flesh; and she carried him, and was exhausted, and she cried unto the Fear of his father, and He answered her not; and she laid the youth down at once under one of the trees. [JERUSALEM. And the water was consumed from the cruse, and she took up the youth.] And she went and sat on one side, and cast away the idol (or the strange worship), and removed from her son, as the distance of an arrow from the bow; for she said, I am not able to see the death of the child. And she sat over against her son, and lifted up her voice and wept. And the voice of the youth was heard before the Lord for the righteousness' sake of Abraham; and the Angel of the Lord called to Hagar from heaven, and said, What to thee, Hagar? Faint not, for the voice of the youth is heard before the Lord; neither shall judgment be according to the evil which he will do, but according to the righteousness of Abraham is mercy upon him in the place where he is. Arise, support the child, and strengthen thine hand in him: for I have set him for a great people. And the Lord opened her eyes, and showed her a well of water, and she went and filled the cruse with water, and gave the youth to drink. And the Word of the Lord was the helper of the youth, and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became a skilful master of the bow. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pharan, and took for a wife Adisha, but put her away. And his mother took for him Phatima to wife, from the land of Mizraim.

And it was at that time that Abimelek and Phikol, chief of his host, spake to Abraham, saying, The Word of the Lord is in thine aid in all whatsoever thou doest. And now, swear to me here, by the Word of the Lord, that thou wilt not be false with me, nor with my son, nor with the son of my son: according to the kindness which I have done with thee, thou shalt do with me, and with the land in which thou dwellest. And Abraham said to him, I swear. And Abraham remonstrated with Abimelek concerning the well of water of which the servants of Abimelek had deprived him. And Abimelek said, I knew not who did this thing; neither hast thou shown it to me; nor have I heard it from others, till to-day from thyself. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave to Abimelek; and they both made a covenant. And Abraham set seven lambs apart and separated them from the oxen. And Abimelek said to Abraham, What are these seven lambs which thou hast set apart? And he said, That thou mayest take the seven lambs from my hand, to be a testimony for me that I have digged this well. Therefore he called that well the Well of the Seven Lambs; because there they two did swear. And they struck a covenant at the Well of the Seven Lambs. And Abimelek and Phikol the Chief of his host arose and returned to the land of the Philistaee. And he planted a garden, (lit., "a paradise,") at the Well of the Seven Lambs, and prepared in the midst of it food and drink for them who passed by and who returned; and he preached to them there, Confess ye, and believe in the Name of the Word of the Lord, the everlasting God.

[JERUSALEM. And Abraham planted a paradise in Beer Sheba, and prepared in the midst of it food and drink for those who arrived at the border; and they ate and drank, and sought to give him the price of what they had eaten and drunk, but he willed not to receive it from them; but our father Abraham discoursed to them of that which he had said, that the world was by His word. Pray before your Father who is in heaven, from whose bounty ye have eaten and drunk. And they stirred not from their place until the time when he had made them proselytes, and had taught them the way everlasting. And Abraham praised and prayed there in the name of the word of the Lord, the God of Eternity.]

XXII. And it was after these things that Izhak and Ishmael contended; and Ishmael said, It is right that I should inherit what is the father's because I am his firstborn son. And Izhak said, It is right that I should inherit what is the father's, because I am the son of Sarah his wife, and thou art the son of Hagar the handmaid of my mother. Ishmael answered and said, I am more righteous than thou, because I was circumcised at thirteen years; and if it had been my will to hinder, they should not have delivered me to be circumcised; but thou wast circumcised a child eight days; if thou hadst had knowledge, perhaps they chould not have delivered thee to be circumcised. Izhak responded and said, Behold now, to-day I am thirty and six years old; and if the Holy One, blessed be He, were to require all my members, I would not delay. These words were heard before the Lord of the world, and the Word of the Lord at once tried Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me. [JERUSALEM. And it was after these things that the Lord tried Abraham with the tenth trial, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me.] And He said, Take now thy son, thy only one whom thou lovest, Izhak, and go into the land of worship, and offer him there, a whole burnt offering, upon one of the mountains that I will tell thee. [JERUSALEM. At Mount Moriah.] And Abraham rose up in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two young men with him, Eliezer and Ishmael, and Izhak his son, and cut the small wood and the figs and the palm, which are provided for the whole burnt offering, and arose and went to the land of which the Lord had told him.

On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and beheld the cloud of glory fuming on the mount, and it was discerned by him afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, Wait you here with the ass, and I and the young man will proceed yonder, to prove if that which was promised shall be established:--So shall be thy sons:--and we will worship the Lord of the world, and return to you. And Abraham took the wood of the offering and laid it upon Izhak his son, and in his hand he took the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together.

And Izhak spake to Abraham his father and said, My Father! And he said, I am. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: where is the lamb for the offering? And Abraham said, The Lord will choose for Himself a lamb for the offering. And they went both of them in heart entirely as one. [JERUSALEM. And Abraham said, The Word of the Lord will prepare for me a lamb; and if not, then thou art the offering, my son! And they went both of them together with a contrite heart.]

And they came to the place of which the Lord had told him. And Abraham builded there the altar which Adam had built, which had been destroyed by the waters of the deluge, which Noah has again builded, and which had been destroyed in the age of divisions; and he set the wood in order upon it, and bound Izhak his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

And Izhak answered and said to his father, Bind me properly (aright), lest I tremble from the affliction of my soul, and be cast into the pit of destruction, and there be found profaneness in thy offering. (Now) the eyes of Abraham looked on the eyes of Izhak; but the eyes of Izhak looked towards the angels on high, (and) Izhak beheld them, but Abrahm saw them not. And the angels answered on high, Come, behold how these solitary ones who are in the world kill the one the other; he who slayeth delays not; he who is to be slain reacheth forth his neck.

[JERUSALEM. And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay Izhak his son. Izhak answered and said to Abraham his father, My father, bind my hands rightly, lest in the hour of my affliction I tremble and confuse thee, and thy offering be found profane, and I be cast into the pit of destruction in the world to come. (Now) the eyes of Abraham reached unto the eyes of Izhak; but the eyes of Izhak reaching to the angels on high. And Izhak beheld them, but Abraham saw them not. In that hour came forth the angels on high, and said, these to these, Come, behold two righteous ones alone in the midst of the world: the one slayeth, the other is slain. He who slayeth deferreth not, and he who is to be slain stretcheth out his neck.]

And the Angel of the Lord called to him from the heavens, and said to him, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Behold me. [JERUSALEM. And He said, Abraham! Abraham! And Abraham answered in the language of the sanctuary, and said, Behold me.] And He said, Stretch not out thy hand upon the young man, neither do him any evil; for now it is manifest before Me that thou fearest the Lord; neither hast thou withheld thy son the only begotten from Me.

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and, behold, a certain ram which had been created between the evenings of the foundation of the world, was held in the entanglement of a tree by his horns. And Abraham went and took him, and offered him an offering instead of his son. And Abraham gave thanks and prayed there, in that place, and said, I pray through the mercies that are before Thee, O Lord, before whom it is manifest that it was not in the depth of my heart to turn away from doing Thy decree with joy, that when the children of Izhak my son shall offer in the hour of affliction, this may be a memorial for them; and Thou mayest hear them and deliver them, and that all generations to come may say, In this mountain Abraham bound Izhak his son, and there theShekina of the Lord was revealed unto him.

[JERUSALEM. And Abrahm prayed in the name of the Word of the Lord, and said, Thou art the Lord who seest, and art not seen. I pray for mercy before Thee, O Lord. It is wholly manifest and known before Thee that in my heart there was no dividing, in the time that Thou didst command me to offer Izhak my son, and to make him dust and ashes before Thee; but that forthwith I arose in the morning and performed Thy word with joy, and I have fulfilled Thy word. And now I pray for mercies before Thee, O Lord God, that when the children of Izhak offer in the hour of need, the binding of Izhak their father Thou mayest remember on their behalf, and remit and forgive their sins, and deliver them out of all need. That the generations who are to arise after him may say, In the mountain of the house of the sanctuary of the Lord did Abraham offer Izhak his son, and in this mountain of the house of the sanctuary was revealed unto him the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord.]

And the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham the second time from the heavens, and said, By My Word have I sworn, saith the Lord, forasmuch as thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only begotten, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy sons as the stars of the heavens, and they shall be as the sand which is upon the shore of the sea, and thy sons shall inherit the cities before their enemies. And all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed through the righteousness of thy son, because thou hast obeyed My word.

And the angels on high took Izhak and brought him into the school (medresha) of Shem the Great; and he was there three years. And in the same day Abraham returned to his young men; and they arose and went together to the Well of the Seven, and Abraham dwelt at Beira-desheva.

And it was after these things, after Abraham had bound Izhak, that Satana came and told unto Sarah that Abraham had killed Izhak. And Sarah arose, and cried out, and was strangled, and died from agony. But Abraham had come, and was resting in the way. And it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcha also hath borne; she hath enlargement, through the righteousness of her sister, for bring forth sons unto Nachor thy brother: Uts, his firstborn, and Booz, his brother, and Kemuel, master of the Aramean magicians, and Keshed, and Chazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begat Rivekeh. These eight bare Milcha to Nacor the brother of Abraham. And his concubine, whose name was Rëuma, she also bare Tebach, and Gacham, and Tachash, and Maacha. [JERUSALEM. And his concumbine…and her name…]