quarrel, I beseech thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen : for we are brethren. Behold the whole land is before thee; depart from me I pray thee: if thou wilt go to the left hand, I will take the right: if thou choose the right hand, I will pass to the left.

And Lot, lifting up his eyes, saw all the country about the Jordan, which was watered throughout, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha, as the paradise of the Lord, and like Egypt as one comes to Segor. And Lot chose to himself the country about the Jordan, and he departed from the east: and they were separated one brother from the other. Abram

dwelt in the land of Canaan; and Lot abode in the towns that were about the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom. And the men of Sodom were very wicked, and sinners before the face of the Lord, beyond measure.

And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him: Lift up thy eyes, and look from the place wherein thou now art, to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west. All the land which thou seest I will give to thee, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth if any man be able to number the dust of the earth, he shall be able to number thy seed also. Arise and walk through the land in the length and in the breadth thereof: for I will give it to thee. So Abram removing his tent came and dwelt by the vale of Mambre, which is in Hebron: and he built there an altar to the Lord.

Abraham's Victory.—And it came to pass at that time, that Gen. XIV. Amraphel king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Pontus, and 1-2. Chodorlahomor king of the Elamites, and Thadal king of nations, made war against Bara king of Sodom, and against Bersa king of Gomorrha, and against Sennaab king of Adama, and against Semeber king of Seboim, and against the king of Bala, which is Segor.

8-17.

And the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrha, and the Gen. XIV. king of Adama, and the king of Seboim, and the king of Bala, which is Segor, went out and they set themselves against them in battle array in the woodland vale: to wit, against Chodorlahomor king of the Elamites, and Thadal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Sennaar, and Arioch king of Pontus: four kings against five. Now the woodland vale had many pits of slime. And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrha turned their backs and were overthrown there and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the substance of the Sodomites, and Gomorrhites, and all their victuals,

Gen. XIV.

and went their way: and Lot also, the son of Abram's brother, who dwelt in Sodom, and his substance.

:

And behold one that had escaped told Abram the Hebrew, who dwelt in the vale of Mambre the Amorrhite, the brother of Escol, and the brother of Aner: for these had made league with Abram. Which when Abram had heard, to wit, that his brother Lot was taken, he numbered of the servants born in his house three hundred and eighteen well appointed and pursued them to Dan. And dividing his company, he rushed upon them in the night and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hoba, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the substance, and Lot his brother, with his substance, the women also and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he returned from the slaughter of Chodorlahomor, and of the kings that were with him in the vale of Save, which is the king's vale.

Melchisedech. But Melchisedech* the king of Salem, bring18-24, ing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God, blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, by whose protection the enemies are in thy hands. And he gave him the tithes of all.

Gen. xv.

And the king of Sodom said to Abram: Give me the persons, and the rest take to thyself. And he answered him: I lift up my hand to the Lord God the most high, the possessor of heaven and earth, that from the very woof thread unto the shoe latchet, I will not take of any things that are thine, lest thou say I have enriched Abram : except such things as the young men have eaten, and the shares of the men that came with me, Aner, Escol, and Mambre: these shall take their shares.

God's Promise to Abraham.-Now when these things were 1-21. done, the word of the Lord came to Abram by a vision, saying: Fear not, Abram, I am thy protector, and thy reward exceeding great.

And Abram said: Lord God, what wilt Thou give me? I go childless and the son of the steward of my house is this

:

* Melchisedech is referred to by S. Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews as a type of our Lord: For this Melchisedech was king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him. To whom also Abraham divided the tithes of all: who first indeed by interpretation is king of justice: and then also king of Salem, that is, king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but likened unto the Son of God, continueth a priest for ever. Now consider how great this man is, to whom also Abraham the patriarch gave tithes out of the principal things. Chap. vii.

Eliezer of Damascus. And Abram added: But to me Thou hast not given seed: and lo my servant, born in my house, shall be my heir. And immediately the word of the Lord came to him, saying: He shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come out of thy bowels, him shalt thou have for thy heir. And He brought him forth abroad, and said to him: Look up to heaven and number the stars, if thou canst. And He said to him: So shall thy seed be. Abram believed God, and it was reputed to And He said to him: I am the Lord who brought thee out from Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land, and that thou mightest possess it.

him unto justice.

But he said: Lord God, whereby may I know that I shall possess it?

And the Lord answered and said: Take Me a cow of three year sold, and a she-goat of three years, and a ram of three years, a turtle also, and a pigeon. And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the two pieces of each one against the other; but the birds he divided not. And the fowls came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. And when the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great and darksome horror seized upon him. And it was said unto him: Know thou beforehand that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land not their own, and they shall bring them under bondage, and afflict them four hundred years.* But I will judge the nation which they shall serve, and after this they shall come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return hither: for as yet the iniquities of the Amorrhites are not at the full until this present time. And when the sun was set, there arose a dark mist, and there appeared a smoking furnace, and a lamp of fire passing between those pieces.

That day God made a covenant with Abram, saying: To thy seed will I give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river Euphrates. The Cineans and Cenezites, the Cedmonites, and the Hethites, and the Pharizites, the Raphaim also, and the Amorrhites, and the Canaanites, and the Gergesites, and the Jebusites.

Agar and Ismael.-Now Sarai the wife of Abram had Gen. xvi. brought forth no children: but having a handmaid, an Egyptian,

* This period is commonly considered to comprise the time of the sojourning in Canaan and of the abode in Egypt. From the birth of Isaac to the departure from Egypt is calculated at 405 years, of which about 100 were spent in bondage.' KENRICK.

1-16.

с

Gen. XVII.

named Agar, she said to her husband: Behold, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed

to her request, she took Agar the Egyptian her handmaid, ten years after they first dwelt in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband to wife.* And he went in to her. But she, perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram: Thou dost unjustly with me: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom, and she, perceiving herself to be with child, despiseth me. The Lord judge between me and thee. And Abram made answer, and said to her: Behold thy handmaid is in thy own hand, use her as it pleaseth thee.

And when Sarai afflicted her, she ran away. And the angel of the Lord having found her, by a fountain of water in the wilderness, which is in the way to Sur in the desert, he said to her: Agar, handmaid of Sarai, whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she answered: I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress. And the angel of the Lord said to her: Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hand. And again he said: I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, and it shall not be numbered for multitude. And again: Behold, said he, thou art with child, and thou shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Ismael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. He shall be a wild man: his hand will be against all men, and all men's hands against him: and he shall pitch his tents over against all his brethren.

And she called the name of the Lord that spoke unto her: Thou God seest me. For she said: Verily here have I looked after Him who seeth me. Therefore she called that well, the well of Him that liveth and seeth me. The same is between Cades and Barad. And Agar brought forth a son to Abram: who called his name Ismael. Abram was four score and six years old when Agar brought him forth Ismael.

SECT. VIII. THE COVENANT OF CIRCUMCISION.

Institution of Circumcision.-And after he began to be 1-24. ninety and nine years old, the Lord appeared to him: and said unto him I am the Almighty God: walk before Me, and be perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and thee:

* Plurality of wives, though contrary to the primitive institution of marriage, Gen. ii. 24, was by divine dispensation allowed to the patriarchs; which allowance seems to have continued during the time of the law of Moses. But Christ our Lord reduced marriage to its primitive institution. S. Matt. xix. DOUAY

and I will multiply thee exceedingly. Abram fell flat on his face.

And God said to him: I AM, and My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram: but thou shalt be called Abraham :* because I have made thee a father of many nations. And I will make thee increase exceedingly, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish My covenantf between Me and thee, and between thy seed after thee in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be a God to thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give to thee, and to thy seed, the land of thy sojournment, all the land of Canaan for a perpetual possession, and I will be their God.

Again God said to Abraham : And thou therefore shalt keep My covenant, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is My covenant which you shall observe, between Me and you, and thy seed after thee: all the male-kind of you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a sign of the covenant between Me and you. An infant of eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man-child in your generations: he that is born in the house as well as the bought servant shall be circumcised, and whosoever is not of your stock: and My covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant. The male whose flesh of his foreskin shall not be circumcised, that soul shall be destroyed out of his people: because he hath broken My covenant.

God said also to Abraham : Sarai thy wife thou shalt not call Sarai, but Sara. And I will bless her, and of her I will give thee a son, whom I will bless, and he shall become nations, and kings of people shall spring from him. Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, saying in his heart: Shall a son, thinkest thou, be born to him that is a hundred years old? and shall Sara that is ninety years old bring forth? And he said to God: O, that Ismael may live before Thee.

And God said to Abraham : Sara thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish My covenant with him for a perpetual covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Be

* Abram, in the Hebrew, signifies a high father; but Abraham, the father of the multitude.

This is the second covenant God made with man, of which circumcision was the sign. This cutting of the flesh was the type of that Christian mortification of the body which S. Paul calls 'the circumcision of the heart in the Spirit, not in the letter.' Rom. ii.