CHAPTER 120
WHEN Lot's two sonsinlaw saw him take the strangers into his home, they went straightway unto the magistrates of the city for it was unlawful in the city of Sodom to entertain an stranger in your home.
2 Wherefore, the people of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, both young and old, all the people of the city.
3 And one of them called to Lot and said, where are the men whom thou tookest into thine house tonight?
4 Behold, thou knowest that it is contrary to our laws to thus entertain strangers.
5 Nevertheless, we will forgive thee for thou art a mighty prince among us; therefore, bring forth the men unto us that we may lie with them and do unto them according to all the desires of our hearts.
6 But Lot went out the door to the front of his house and securing the door behind him, he confronted the Sodomites.
7 And Lot said to them, I pray you, my brethren, do not these wicked things, for it is contrary to the law of the Most High God who is king over all, to force anyone to lie with another.
8 Repent now, therefore, that the wrath of the Most High God fall not upon you and ye with your city be destroyed.
9 But they were angry with Lot and they cried unto him, Stand away from the door lest we take thee also.
10 Thou hast come in among us and partaken of the good of our land and we have treated thee with honor although thou wast a stranger. dost thou now make thyself a judge over us?
11 And their anger increased against Lot and they said unto him, Behold, we will deal worse with thee than with them.
12 Wherefore, we shall take thee and thy daughters and the men who have come in unto thee and any others in thine household who shall please us and we will do with you according to all our desires.
13 But Lot replied, Behold now, I have two daughters who have not lain with man.
14 Let me, I pray you, plead with you that ye take them not according to this wickedness and abuse them according to your abominations, for the most High God will surely destroy this city if ye repent not.
15 Wherefore, ye shall do nothing unto me nor my daughters nor the strangers that are within my gate nor any of mine household, for God will smite you in the attempt.
16 And their anger increased yet more against Lot an they came near to break down the door, but the messengers of God who were holy men bearing the Power of the Priesthood after God's holy order, put forth their hands, pulled Lot into the house and shut the door behind him.
17 Then they smote the people of Sodom with blindness so that they could not find the door.
CHAPTER 121
AND one of these holy men said unto Lot, Take now all that appertaineth unto thee, whether persons or goods, our of this city, for the wrath of God is upon this place and tomorrow it shall be destroyed because the cries of those who have been abused here have risen unto the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth and the abominations of the Sodomites have come up before His face.
2 Wherefore, surely upon the morrow the vengeance of the Lord shall fall upon Sodom that neither root nor branch shall be left here for the fullness of their iniquity hath come upon them and in the fullness thereof they shall be cut off.
3 Therefore, Lot went forth at that time and spake unto his sonsinlaw and his married daughters and all who had gone forth with him from our camp, saying, Up, get you out of their place for on the morrow the Lord will destroy this city.
4 But his words were as foolishness unto them and they mocked him.
5 And Lot returned unto his house in sorrow.
CHAPTER 122
WHEN morning came, the men of god hastened Lot saying, Arise, take thy wives and thy daughters who are here with thee in the house and depart hence lest ye be consumed by the wrath of god which shall be visited upon the iniquities of Sodom.
2 And while they were preparing to depart, Lot's heart being full of sorrow at leaving his daughters and his daughters' children to be destroyed, the men of God took him by the hand with his wives and his daughters, for the Lord had mercy upon Lot because of his integrity, because he had not bowed down unto false gods nor entered into the abominations of Sodom.
3 And Lot thought to dwell in Zoar; wherefore, he hastened there, but his wife Ado turned back unto the city of Sodom.
4 Ado was the daughter of Eli, the son of Eliezer, which Eli had accompanied Lot to Sodom.
5 And Ado thought upon her parents and her daughters who remained in the city, her heart was pained within her and she turned back unto them and was lost.
6 But Lot entered with the rest of his family into Zoar and was there when the cities of the plains were overthrown.
CHAPTER 123
THEN the three holy men of god came unto me, Abraham, where I was fasting and praying nigh unto Sodom, and they lifted me up into the heavens and taught me the ordinancesthe key words and the singsby which I might call down fire and brimstone upon the cities.
2 And I did as I was commanded by the angels of god and the cities were destroyed.
3 And when I saw the destruction of the land, mine heart was sorrowful, but the Lord said unto me, I have had mercy upon Lot and have sent him out of the city that he was not destroyed, for he was the only righteous man in all the cities.
4 Wherefore, mine heart was comforted.
CHAPTER 124
AND when the destruction was over, Lot feared to continue dwelling in Zoar, lest it also should be destroyed.
2 Wherefore, he took his family and went unto the cave of Adullam and dwelt there.
3 And the word of the Lord came unto Lot saying, Go in now unto thy two daughters who are with thee who have not known man, for they shall conceive by thee that thy posterity shall not be cut off from the earth.
4 So Lot went in unto his two daughters and lay with them and they conceived by him.
5 And the firstborn bare a son and called his name Moab.
6 And the younger also bare a son and she called his name Benammi.
7 And Lot dwelt in the cave for five years and after that he took his wives and his daughters and his sons whom his daughters had borne unto him and dwelt on the other side of Jordan.
8 And the Lord blessed him and prospered him and he dwelt in safety.
CHAPTER 125
AFTER the destruction of the cities of the plains, I, Abraham, journeyed to the south to the land of Gerar.
2 Now the king of the land of Gerar was Abimelech, and he was one who worshipped the Most High God and he was just and upright in all his ways.
3 And Abimelech had entered the Holy Order of God and was a priest and a king after the Order of the Most High God and had received the rites and ordinances of the gospel.
4 As a youth he had dwelt with me in the city of Shalom and he was as a brother unto me and we shared all things.
5 When Sarah and I went in unto Abimelech to commune with him, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon Abimelech and he blessed Sarah in great outpourings after the Order of the Ancients and anointed her that she might bear holy seed and we rejoiced in the blessings of the Lord unto Sarah through the three holy men from the City of Enoch and through His servant Abimelech.
6 And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me also and I blessed her and anointed hr that the Spirit of the Lord might fall upon her in a greater outpouring to the sanctification of herself and her seed.
7 And we rejoiced together for three nights and two days and worshipped the Lord our God and were filled with joy and peace in the blessings of the Lord unto us.
8 And we were magnified in the Lord.
CHAPTER 126
THE next night, after Sarah and I had returned to our camp, Abimelech was seated upon his throne praying when a sleep from the Lord fell upon him and he slept there all that night.
2 And while he slept, he dreamed a dream in which an angel of the Lord with a drawn sword in his hand came and stood above him.
3 And Abimelech was frightened at the angel, but the angel said unto him, Fear not, for because thou hast faithfully entered into the rites and ordinances of my gospel and hast walked an holy walk before me and didst uphold Shem and Abraham after him in the work which I have called them to do in maintaining mine holy order in the earth, behold, I am sent to stand by thy side and shall protect thee against all the power of the adversary.
4 For thy sins are forgiven thee and thine exaltation is sure and thou shalt dwell forever in the presence of thy God.
5 So saying, the angel departed from the vision of Abimelech, but he felt his presence near him from that time forth and the adversary thereafter exercised no power over him.
CHAPTER 127
WE had dwelt in Gerar nine months when the three holy men of God again visited us and Sarah gave birth to a son.
2 And on the eighth day he was circumcised according to the commandment of the Lord to me and I called his name Isaac. The child grew and when he was three years old he was weaned and I made a great feast on the day he was weaned.
3 And Melchizedek, king of Shalom, with Eber his heir and Abimelech, king of Gerar with his son, Abimelech, and Pharaoh, king of Egypt, father to Hagar and Ishmael, and all the mighty princes of the land came to the feast which I prepared, for these were the men whom I loved, with my brethren Aneram, Eshcol, and Mamre.
4 My father, Terah, also, and my brother, Nahor, came unto the feast having heard that Sarah had borne a son. And we all rejoiced before the Lord for many days that my son Isaac had reached the age of weaning from his mother.
5 And from that time forth Sarah and I introduced the lad into the tabernacle and began to instruct him in the mysteries of godliness that he might be prepared in his youth to enter into the Holy of Holies and be instructed there.
6 For Shem had instructed me in the city of Shalom that children should be instructed in the temple from the age of weaning which is three years old, that they should be instructed in the Holy of Holies from the age of puberty which is twelve years old, and that they should be endowed with power from on high from the age of maturity, which is fourteen years.
7 But inasmuch as I had not journeyed unto the city of Shalom until I was ten years old, I was prepared for the blessings of the Lord's House in only a few years.
CHAPTER 128
MY son Ishmael I did not introduce into the Lord's House in his childhood because he was not spiritual in his nature, but he was a hunter, proficient in the use of the bow and other
instruments of death.
2 Nevertheless, the Lord was with Ishmael and blessed him for my sake in all to which he put his hand.
3 When Isaac was five years old, he was sitting with Ishmael at the door of Hagar's tent where Ishmael was sharpening his arrows, for Ishmael was sixteen years old at this time.
4 As they thus sat at the door of Hagar's tent, Isaac picked up one of Ishmael's arrows and brake it.
5 Seeing this, Ishmael grew angry and taking another arrow, he fitted it to his bow intending to slay Isaac, but the Lord touched his heart so that he did not slay him.
6 But Sarah saw this thing which Ishmael had intended to do to Isaac and she was grieved at it.
7 That night when I entered the tent of Sarah, she said to me, Let Hagar and her son be sent to dwell apart, for this day did Ishmael seek to slay Isaac.
8 Now these words caused me great sorrow for I did not desire to see my family divided.
9 But that night an angel of the Lord came unto me in a dream, saying, Hearken unto the words of Sarah, thy wife, and let Hagar and her son Ishmael dwell apart lest harm come upon they son Isaac who shall be thine heir.
CHAPTER 129
THEREFORE, I arose early in the morning and took Hagar and my son Ishmael into the deserts of Arabia where dwelt a people who were friendly to me.
2 And there I built with Ishmael a temple unto the Lord our God that his seed might always be kept in remembrance of the Lord.
3 And Hagar and Ishmael dwelt among the people of the desert and were content, and Ishmael was a mighty hunter with the bow among them.
4 And every year at a certain time I went and dwelt with my wife, Hagar, and with my son, Ishmael.
5 And when Ishmael was twenty years of age, his mother asked my consent to take him to the house of her father in Egypt, for she longed to see her family again.
6 Wherefore, I gave them my blessing and they departed into the land of Egypt where they remained one year.
7 And while they were in Egypt, Ishmael took to wife Meribah, daughter of Phanes, son of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
8 And after he had taken Meribah to wife, they remained in the land of Egypt yet ten years and Meribah bare unto Ishmael four sons and two daughters.
9 After this time, Ishmael took his mother and his wife and his children and returned to the deserts of Arabia.
10 And the Lord blessed Ishmael for my sake and increased him in flocks and in herds and in good things.
CHAPTER 130
WHEN Ishmael had returned from the land of Egypt, I went as was my custom to stay with my wife Hagar and my son Ishmael.
2 And when Ishmael was away hunting, his wife Meribah spake disrespectfully to me and complained of my being in their tents.
3 Moreover, she abused her children and when I chastised her for this thing, she rose up in anger against me.
4 My wife Hagar saw all these things, and when her son Ishmael had returned from the hunt, she complained unto him of the actions of Meribah toward me.
5 And Ishmael came unto me and said, My father, what shall I do with such a wife who abuseth my father and my children and speaketh evil of me, for she had spoken against her husband Ishmael, also.
6 And I said unto him, Such an one is not fit to be thy wife nor the mother of thy children nor to dwell in thy tents; wherefore, give her a bill of divorcement and send her back to the home of her father in shame and find another more worthy than she to be thy wife and the mother of these children.
7 So Ishmael gave unto Meribah a bill of divorcement and sent her back to her father Phanes in the land Egypt and his mother Hagar raised his children until he took another wife.
CHAPTER 131
THE next year Ishmael came to my camp and when he had kissed me and we had eaten together, he said unto me, My father, according to thine instructions I did give unto my wife Meribah a bill of divorcement and sent her back to the home of her father in shame.
2 Now, therefore, I come unto thee to seek thy counsel
concerning obtaining another in her place.
3 Now, it pleased me that my son Ishmael had come to me regarding choosing a wife.
4 Therefore, I sought among the women of my camp and found two who were desirous of being wife to Ishmael, even Zola, the daughter of my wife Peleliah and Naiomi, the daughter Kemuel, the son of Kish, who had been among the believers who met in the room of my mother in the city of Ur.
5 And I was pleased to give them unto my son Ishmael because he had come to me for counsel and because he had begun to magnify his priesthood for he did worship the Lord our God and sought to overcome his weaknesses.
6 And Ishmael and his family dwelt with me a long time in Gerar and after that, when I moved my camp to Beersheba, which is by Hebron.
CHAPTER 132
AND Sarah and I continued to teach our son Isaac and instruct him in the ways of the ancients that he might be initiated into the Holy Order of God and receive the blessings of eternal lives.
2 And Isaac did know the Lord and the Lord was with him and did bless him greatly because he was full of faith and love and did good to all he met.
CHAPTER 133
WHEN Isaac was thirtyseven years old, he was one day talking with his brother Ishmael.
2 And Ishmael was boasting of his righteousness, saying, I was thirteen years old when the Lord spake to my father to circumcise us, and from that time I have consecrated my soul unto the Lord and kept His commandments as they have come unto me from my father.
3 But Isaac answered him saying, Why dost thou boast in thy righteousness, for none of us are without sin and all mankind is as nothing before the Lord.
4 And we must be prepared to be offered upon the altar as a sacrifice to our God with joy that we can glorify Him before our calling and election is made sure.
CHAPTER 134
THIS saying of Isaac's pleased the Lord and the Lord visited me, saying, Thy son Isaac have I seen and his heart is right before me and he is clean and pure, an acceptable sacrifice unto the Lord.
2 And the Lord touched the eyes of mine understanding that they were opened and I saw the sons of God gathered in council with the Father and Lucifer also was among them.
3 And the Lord said to Lucifer, Surely thou hast been abroad in the earth trying the hearts of men.
4 Whom hast thou found standing in his integrity who should be further tried to know whether he be thine or mine?
5 Lucifer replied, Hast thou considered Abraham and Sarah and Isaac? For I am unable to lead them into sin in whatever matter I place before them.
6 They are united in perfect bonds of love and purity and even Abraham hath united all his family again which was divided.
7 Surely they should be tried to know whether they are faithful only in their prosperity or whether they will be faithful also in adversity.
8 And the Lord said unto Lucifer, Were I to say unto Abraham, Bring up Isaac thy son unto the high place and offer him as a burnt offering unto me, he would not withhold him from me nor would Isaac refuse to be offered.
9 And Lucifer answered the Lord, Speak now unto Abraham as thou hast said and we shall see whether his heart is perfect with the Lord or whether his end shall be in my kingdom.
CHAPTER 135
WITH these words, the vision was closed to my mind and the Lord said unto me, Abraham, take now thy son Isaac whom thou lovest and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt offering upon the mountain upon which thou shalt see the glory of the Lord resting as a cloud.
2 And the Lord departed from me and left me to consider these things.
CHAPTER 136
NOW Sarah's heart was knit unto Isaac's insomuch that she did keep him by her side whenever possible and he did sleep upon her bed at night.
2 Wherefore, I thought, How shall I separate Isaac from his mother Sarah for such a journey lest her heart be grieved and she die in her grief?
3 So I went in unto Sarah and comforted her and afterwards I said unto her, Our son Isaac we have taught these many years and I feel now that I should take him unto Shem and Eber, his son, where the can be instructed by the ancient ones in the mysteries of the ancients that he may become a perfect servant of the Lord our God.
4 Sarah replied, Thou hast spoken well, my lord. Go to now and do all as thou hast said, only let the lad remain not too long apart from me for my soul is bound to his soul with a perfect love from God.
5 And I answered Sarah saying, My daughter, let us pray to the Lord our God that we may yield to His will in all things and that all things will work together for our good.
CHAPTER 137
AND Isaac slept with us that night and Sarah kissed and embraced him and instructed him until morning.
2 And she said to him, O my son, how can my soul separate itself from thee?
3 And she still kissed and embraced him until the time of preparation had come.
4 Then Sarah took a beautiful and costly robe from among those which Abimelech had given her, for Abimelech had loved Sarah greatly and had given her may precious things, but his love toward her was pure in the sight of God and according to the laws of heaven.
5 With this robe which had never been worn, Sarah clothed Isaac and put a turban upon his head in which she head in which she wrapped a precious stone.
6 And she said unto him, Even s this stone art thou precious unto me, my son.
7 Nevertheless, I would have thee so conduct thy life that when the Lord shall come to gather up his jewels, thou wilt be among the number.
CHAPTER 138
THUS, taking provisions for our journey, we started out and Sarah and others of our people accompanied us upon the road.
2 And when the time of parting had arrived, Sarah wept bitterly and I also wept with her as did Isaac our son and those who accompanied us.
3 And Sarah caught hold of Isaac and held him in her arms and embraced him and kissed him and wept over him and Sarah said unto him, Who knoweth if after this day I shall ever see thee again?
4 Nevertheless, our hope is in the Lord Jehovah in whom is life.
5 Therefore, if I see thee not again in this veil of tears, yet surely we shall again embrace before the throne of God.
6 God bless thee, my son, and keep thee secure in His ways and I will be close to thee all thy days.
7 So saying, Sarah kissed Isaac again and turned back to the camp with all who had accompanied us.
CHAPTER 139
AS we proceeded upon our journey, Satan came to me in the form of an aged man, humble and contrite, who said unto me, How canst thou think to do so unto thy son?
2 Did not God give thee this son by an holy conception after the Order of the Ancients and dost thou think so little of this precious gift that thou wilt take his life as thou wouldst slaughter a dumb beast and thus cut off thine only hope of a royal posterity in the earth?
3 What evil hath he done unto thee that thou shouldst do this thing?
4 Dost thou not understand that this thing cannot be from the Lord?
5 Behold the Lord delighteth not in human sacrifice.
6 Did he not smite the priest of Nimrod for seeking to take thy life in like manner?
7 Surely thou shouldst repent of this thy purpose and return thy son unto the bed of his mother, Sarah.
8 But I knew that this was the word of Satan seeking to prevent my obeying the word of the Lord; wherefore, I commanded him to depart by the authority of the holy priesthood in the name of the Lord, and he departed from me in haste.
CHAPTER 140
A short time later, Satan came again, appearing to Isaac in the form of a handsome and pleasing young man.
2 And he said unto Isaac, Dost thou not understand that thine old father in his foolishness bringeth thee to be slain today for no purpose?
3 Now therefore, my brother, go not with him for it is the foolishness of his old age that doeth this.
4 Therefore, let not thy precious life and thy beautiful body be lost from the earth in such a manner, but come with me and I will introduce thee to the pleasures of the earth and thou shalt take pleasure therein all thy days.
5 When Isaac heard this, he saith unto me, My father, surely this is Satan come to dissuade me from obeying the word of the Lord for thus doth he appear and thus doth he say unto me.
6 Wherefore, my father, rebuke him in the name of the Lord that he shall cease from troubling me for I know that thou art a servant of the Most High God and that it is to fulfill the will of the Lord that we are come unto this place.
7 Wherefore, I, Abraham, rebuked Satan in the name of the Lord Jehovah, the God of Noah and of Shem, and he departed from us in fear.
CHAPTER 141
AS we continued on our journey, we entered a narrow ravine with high walls.
2 When we were in the mist of it, we heard a mighty rumbling and the earth shook beneath our feet.
3 Looking back, we saw a great wall of water coming down upon us bearing trees and boulders in a mighty flood.
4 Mine heart was moved within me for my son Isaac and he sought also to protect me, but, raising mine hands to heaven I called upon the Name of the Lord and the Lord heard me out of heaven and stopped the flood until we had ascended from the ravine.
5 Thus did Satan seek to destroy us that we might no offer an acceptable sacrifice unto the Lord our God but the power of our God is mightier than that of Satan; wherefore, Satan can do no harm unto the children of men except the Lord God allow him to do it.
6 Therefore, do all things, whether they be good or evil, work together for the good of the saints of God who serve Him and keep His commandments.
CHAPTER 142
AND on the third day, we saw the place afar off which the Lord had appointed for the sacrifice of my beloved son Isaac.
2 And I knew the place because the glory of the Lord was there as a pillar of fire and a glorious cloud.
3 And when I saw the place, I said unto my son Isaac, My son, dost thou see aught upon yonder mountain.?
4 And Isaac replied, yea, my father, for the glory of the Lord resteth upon it as a pillar of fire and a glorious cloud.
5 Then I rejoiced that my son was found worthy to see this sign also and we bowed down there and worshipped the Lord our God.
CHAPTER 143
AS we approached the mountain, Isaac said unto me, My father, we have with us the fire and the wood, but we have no lamb to serve as a burnt offering unto the Lord.
2 Explain now unto me the mystery hidden in this thing that I may be obedient unto all which the Lord thy God requireth of me.
3 Then I rejoiced, for I knew that the Lord had revealed in the heart of my son Isaac that which we must do.
4 Therefore I said unto him, Isaac, my son, the Lord hath chosen thee to be a perfect burnt offering unto him instead of the lamb.
5 And this thing is a type of the Lord of spirits who is our first Father and his Only Begotten Son who is the Lamb slain from before the foundation to the earth.
6 For surely God will offer his only son as a sacrifice upon the cross to atone for our sins and for the sins of all mankind, that all men might be redeemed front he power of death and be brought to stand before the judgement bar of the great Jehovah to be judged according to their works, that every man might receive a righteous and just judgment and that mercy might have claim upon the penitent, the price of their sins having been paid by the Son of God.
7 Yea, surely, my son, we have been chosen to represent the Father and the Son in this thing, and though I grieve to think of losing thee, my beloved, yet I rejoice that we are honored thus to represent God.
CHAPTER 144
AND Isaac said unto me, I will do all that the Lord hath commanded thee, my father, with joy in mine heart that I am chosen to represent the son of God in this sacrifice, and I have this hope in me, that if we are faithful to all the commandments of the Lord our God, I shall yet stand in the flesh with thee and my mother before the throne of the Ancient of Days and receive from him the promise of exaltation and eternal lives.
2 When I heard this answer, I rejoiced in my son Isaac whose heart was pure and upright before the Lord.
3 But the Spirit of the Lord constrained me to test him further, and I said unto him, Hast thou any thoughts or feelings which would prevent thy being offered as a perfect sacrifice before the Lord?
4 For if thou dost in any way doubt the efficacy of this sacrifice, which is in the similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father which is full of grace and truth, it is not meet that thou shouldst be offered as a sacrifice before our God.
5 But Isaac answered me saying, O my father, as the Lord liveth and as thou liveth as an holy man of god, I know that thou art a servant of the Most High God and that thou dost hold the keys of the fathers.
6 Thou hast never asked me to do anything which was not of God but thou hast taught me by precept and example to serve the Lord thy God in every act of my life.
7 Shall I then shrink from being offered by thee as a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God?
8 Nay, but I shall rejoice forever to have been so honored.
9 Blessed is the Lord thy God who hath this day chosen me to be sacrificed as a burnt offering before him.
CHAPTER 145
THUS we came unto the place which the Lord had appointed for the offering of my son, rejoicing in the glory of our God.
2 Yet I did weep at the thought of losing my beloved son Isaac and at the knowledge of the pain this would bring to his mother Sarah, for their souls were united as one.
3 Nevertheless, my heart rejoiced that I was chosen with my son for this holy ordinance that we might thereby magnify the name of the Lord.
CHAPTER 146
AFTER kneeling in prayer unto the Lord our God, Isaac and I constructed an altar before the Lord and I laid the wood in order upon the altar which we had built.
2 And Isaac lay upon the altar and I bound him there and he said unto me, Bind me securely lest I move beneath the force of the knife and profane the offering before the Lord.
3 So I bound him securely that he could not move upon the altar.
4 And I wept as I prepared my son for the sacrifice and Isaac wept with me, yet our hearts rejoiced to have been found worthy of this great blessing.
CHAPTER 147
WHEN all was prepared, I picked up the knife, kissed my son Isaac, and prepared to offer him as a sacrifice unto the Lord my God.
2 But the voice of the Lord came unto me saying, Abraham, slay not thy son, for I have tested you in this manner that I might know that your hearts are perfect before me.
3 Now I know that ye fear the Lord your God in that thou hast not withheld thine heir from mine altar and he hath willingly lain thereon to be a sacrifice of a burnt offering unto the Lord.
4 Therefore, lift up thine eyes and behold the ram that was chosen from the beginning to stand in the place of thy son Isaac as a burnt offering before me.
5 And I looked up and saw a ram caught by his horns in a thicket.
6 For as the ram had advanced to the sacrifice, Satan had caught him in the thicket that he might no be offered in Isaac's stead.
7 But I went and freed him from the thicket and releasing my son Isaac, I placed the ram upon the altar and offered him in Isaac's place, the his blood might be considered as the blood of Isaac before the Lord.
8 And the Lord accepted the sacrifice of the ram as if it had been Isaac and the Lord appeared unto us and blessed me and my seed on that day.
9 And we rejoiced in the Lord.
CHAPTER 148
WHEN all things were finished, Isaac and I returned to our camp rejoicing in the Lord our God.
2 But when we reached the place we found that Sarah was not there, for the agents of Satan had come to her saying, Behold, dost thou not understand that Abraham goeth to offer thy son Isaac as a burnt offering unto the Lord his God?
3 Surely he doeth this because he is jealous of thy love for thy son Isaac.
4 Go, therefore, and stop this thing lest he to whom thine heart is knitted be destroyed from off the face of the earth.
CHAPTER 149
BUT Sarah said, Surely the heart of my lord Abraham is right with the Lord his God for he walketh before him in all his ways.
2 Nevertheless, shall my son Isaac be offered as a burnt offering and I not be there to weep over him and strengthen him and pray for him that he be and acceptable offering unto the Lord god of Abraham?
3 Nay, but I shall go to him.
4 And Sarah departed with her menservants and her maidservants and went as far as Hebron but found us not.
5 Therefore, Sarah rested in Hebron and sent her young men to find us, who searched all the land round about and even in the city of Shalom but found us not.
6 Then Sarah prayed unto the lord saying, O Lord God of Abraham, surely I know that all things are in thine hand, and I do not fear for my son Isaac for I know that mine husband Abraham is an high priest after thine holy order.
7 Nevertheless, it is my desire to be with my son at this holy hour that I might share his joy and his sorrow before the Lord our God.
CHAPTER 150
THEN the word of the Lord came unto Sarah saying, Surely I have accepted the offering of Isaac and have provided a ram prepared before the foundation of the earth was laid to be offered in his place; wherefore, thy son liveth and is with his father Abraham and even now searcheth for thee.
2 When Sarah heard these words, her heart was filled with joy so that she could not contain it and her spirit was lifted up to see the Paradise of God and she exclaimed, Behold, I have seen my Redeemer and it sufficeth me, and she gave up the ghost.
3 Thus did Sarah die in Hebrom being one hundred and twentyseven years old and she died having seen her Redeemer and having received from him the promise of eternal life.
CHAPTER 151
THEN was word brought unto us, that Sarah was gone unto Hebron, wherefore we journeyed there and found that Sarah had died.
2 But having inquired after the manner of her death, we rejoiced that she went with the promise of exaltation and that she died knowing of Isaac's salvation and his acceptance with God.
3 Then we took Sarah unto a cave which I purchased of Ephron the Hittite for that purpose and we buried her there and we wept over her, yet we rejoiced in her righteousness before God.
4 And all the people of the land came to honor Sarah with Pharaoh who came from Egypt and Abimelech from Gerar and many others who honored and loved Sarah.
5 For she was truly and handmaiden of the Lord and ministered unto many in the name of the Lord in love and charity and was greatly loved by all for her kindness an meekness and her great wisdom in godliness.
CHAPTER 152
THUS, I, Abraham, began to be old having seen one hundred and thirtyseven years.
2 Wherefore, I write this record of my life that others might benefit from the workings of the Lord my God with me.
3 And I bear this witness that the Lord liveth and reigneth in the heavens, and he is the Most High God over all the earth.
4 He hath led me since first he appeared to me in a dream when I was three years of age, even unto this time when I am old and bowed down with years.
5 He hath done only good to me and not evil all the days of my life.
6 Surely I will love him and serve him forever and ever and will magnify his name on high before all people. Amen.
CHAPTER 153
AFTER Sarah's death, I sent my son Isaac unto Shem and Eber to learn more perfectly the ways of the ancients and he remained there three years before returning to my camp.
CHAPTER 154
IN the one hundred thirtyeighth year of my life, my brother Abimelech, king of Gerar, died being one hundred and ninetythree years of age.
2 Wherefore, I took my people and journeyed to Gerar where we mourned over Abimelech for he was a good and holy man who walked in perfectness before his God and had made his calling and his election sure.
3 Therefore, we rejoiced in knowing of his end.
4 Nevertheless, we sorrowed to be parted from him, but I knew that I should soon go to him, which knowledge comforted mine heart.
5 And his son Abimelech was chosen to reign in his stead.
CHAPTER 155
THE following year Lot, my brother's son, died being one hundred and forty years old.
2 He, to, was a just man and accepted of the Lord, although he did not walk in all the ways of the ancients, for he had coveted his own property and separated from the community of God, therefore he must receive a just reward.
3 Nevertheless, the Lord loved him because he maintained his integrity, even in the midst of wicked Sodom, wherefore the Lord saved him and those of his household who would be saved from destruction and the Lord made of him also a mighty people.
CHAPTER 156
NOW, when my son Isaac was about to return unto me from the city of Shalom, the word of the Lord came unto me saying, Behold, in the city of Haran dwelleth Bethuel the son of thy brother Nahor who is dead.
2 Unto Bethuel hast been born Rebekah, who at this time is ten years of age.
3 Send now and fetch her as a wife to thy son Isaac, for thus have I appointed that she shall bear unto him the chosen seed.
CHAPTER 157
SO I called unto me Eliezer, my trusted companion who had been with me since we had come out of the city of Shalom, and I said unto him, Put now thine hand under my thigh and swear unto me before the Most High god that thou shalt go unto the city of Haran and bring thence Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor my brother to be a wife unto my son Isaac according to the word of the Lord, but if the maiden refuse to come with thee, thou shalt be free of this thine oath.
2 So Eliezer swore before the Most High God and departed from me in peace.
3 He also pursued his journey to Haran and found Rebekah, even as I had said, and returned with her after the return of my son Isaac from the city of Shalom.
4 Thus Isaac took Rebekah to wife when he was forty years old, he having four other wives; but Rebekah he took to wife in the tent of Sarah.
5 And Rebekah bare no children; wherefore I knew that the Lord should work a marvelous work in her even as in Sarah before her.
6 Therefore, mine heart rejoiced in Rebekah, the wife of my son Isaac, for she was pure and virtuous like unto Sarah my beloved who had preceded me into the rest of the Lord.
CHAPTER 158
THIS same year I took to wife Keturah, the daughter of mine old friend Abinelech king of Gerar who was dead.
2 Keturah bare me six sons so that in all I received of the Lord eight sons and three hundred and twentyeight daughters, being in all three hundred and thirtysix souls.
3 Thus did the Lord increase me greatly besides the many sons who were adopted to me.
4 And thus I increased continually before the Lord.
CHAPTER 159
AFTER nine years my son Isaac brought unto me his wife Rebekah for she was yet barren.
2 And she said unto me, My father, surely I know that my mother Sarah was barren for many years before she bare Isaac unto thee.
3 Wherefore, pray for me, that I, like Sarah, may conceive.
4 Therefore, I prayed over my daughter Rebekah, and I said unto Isaac, Thy mother Sarah bare thee after she received a blessing from my brother Abimelech king of Gerar.
5 Abimelech, son of Abimelech, reigneth now in the place of his father in Gerar, and he, too, is a mighty man of God.
6 Go ye in unto him that he may bless Rebekah and she shall conceive an bear unto thee two sons and the younger shall rule over the elder, but in the elder shall the word of the Lord also be fulfilled for through him shall I slay wicked Nimrod even as the Lord foretold at my birth.
7 So Isaac took Rebekah and went unto Gerar, unto Abimelech, son of Abimelech, who blessed her after the order of the ancients, and she conceived and bare unto Isaac two sons, even as I had said.
8 An on the eighth day, Isaac brought the last unto me to be named and the elder I called Esau, for he was covered with hair and I said, Surely he shall be a mighty hunter before the Lord.
9 But the second I called Jacob, for I said, Surely the elder shall serve the younger.
CHAPTER 160
WHEN my youngest son Shuach, whom Keturah had borne me (for she bare Zimran, Jokshan, mean, Midian, Ishbak and Shuach) was fifteen years of age, I called all of my sons unto me and
instructed them in the ways of the Lord and blessed them and give unto each wives and a goodly inheritance of property according to the instructions of the Lord and sent them away to inherit lands which the Lord had prepared for them.
2 Then I rested in peace knowing that I had done all the will of the Lord and that soon I should be gathered unto my fathers to be with Sarah and the righteous in the Paradise of God.
CHAPTER 161
BEHOLD, I am Isaac, the son of Abraham, and I finish my father's record.
2 For when the end of my father's sojourn among men had come, he called me unto him and said, My son, according to the commandment of God unto thee, I have appointed thee to be mine heir that all the authority I possess should rest with thee.
3 Thou knowest that the Lord is God in heaven and earth and we serve only him.
4 He hath many times preserved me from destruction when the evil ones would have destroyed me, for I always place my trust in him.
5 He brought me unto this land and said unto me, to thy seed will I give all this land and they shall inherit it when they shall keep my commandments, my statutes and my judgments that I have commanded thee and which I shall command them.
6 Now therefore my son, hearken unto my voice and keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, even as thou hast been instructed by me and by thy mother Sarah and by Shem an Eber.
7 Depart not from the holy order of God in any particular and remember always the mercies of our God and his blessing will never depart from thee.
8 Teach these things also unto thy children and thy children's children that they may receive the like blessings with us for all those who obey the law of the fathers will be blessed with the fathers.
CHAPTER 162
THEN I covenanted with my father to do all things as he had said and to walk always in his ways.
2 And my father blessed me and mine house and he took my son Jacob into his tent, he being fifteen years old at this time, and instructed him for seven days and nights in the ways of the Lord.
3 Thus did my father end his days and he died, being one hundred and seventyfive years of age.
4 And Ishmael and his other sons returned unto me and we did bury our father with Sarah my mother and all the inhabitants of the land did mourn over him for he was a righteous man who did good unto all.
5 And truly this was his testimony, that the Lord is God over all and those who serve him shall inherit peace in this life and eternal joy in the life to come. Amen.
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