Abraham moved from Mamre to the southern part of Canaan and lived between Kadesh and Shur. Later, while he was living in Gerar,

One night God appeared to him in a dream and said, "You are going to die, because you have taken this woman; she is already married."

Abraham himself said that she was his sister, and she said the same thing. I did this with a clear conscience, and I have done no wrong."

But now, give the woman back to her husband. He is a prophet, and he will pray for you, so that you will not die. But if you do not give her back, I warn you that you are going to die, you and all your people."

Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked, "What have you done to us? What wrong have I done to you to make you bring this disaster on me and my kingdom? No one should ever do what you have done to me.

Abraham answered, "I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife.

So when God sent me from my father's house into foreign lands, I said to her, 'You can show how loyal you are to me by telling everyone that I am your brother.' "

He said to Abraham, "Here is my whole land; live anywhere you like."

Because of what had happened to Sarah, Abraham's wife, the LORD had made it impossible for any woman in Abimelech's palace to have children. So Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God healed him. He also healed his wife and his slave women, so that they could have children.

The LORD blessed Sarah, as he had promised,

Abraham named him Isaac,

Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born.

Then she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

One day Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, was playing with Sarah's son Isaac.

This troubled Abraham very much, because Ishmael also was his son.

I will also give many children to the son of the slave woman, so that they will become a nation. He too is your son."

When the water was all gone, she left the child under a bush

God heard the boy crying, and from heaven the angel of God spoke to Hagar, "What are you troubled about, Hagar? Don't be afraid. God has heard the boy crying.

Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave some to the boy.

His mother got an Egyptian wife for him.

So make a vow here in the presence of God that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so promise that you will also be loyal to me and to this country in which you are living."

Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

Then Abraham gave some sheep and cattle to Abimelech, and the two of them made an agreement.

and Abimelech asked him, "Why did you do that?"

And so the place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them made a vow.

Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped the LORD, the Everlasting God.

Some time later God tested Abraham; he called to him, "Abraham!" And Abraham answered, "Yes, here I am!"

Early the next morning Abraham cut some wood for the sacrifice, loaded his donkey, and took Isaac and two servants with him. They started out for the place that God had told him about.

Then he said to the servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship, and then we will come back to you."

Isaac spoke up, "Father!" He answered, "Yes, my son?" Isaac asked, "I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"

When they came to the place which God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood.

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" He answered, "Yes, here I am."

Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught in a bush by its horns. He went and got it and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time,

I promise that I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand along the seashore. Your descendants will conquer their enemies.

Abraham went back to his servants, and they went together to Beersheba, where Abraham settled.

Uz the first-born, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram,

Rebecca's father. Milcah bore these eight sons to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

Some time later Jesus traveled through towns and villages, preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of God. The twelve disciples went with him,

Joanna, whose husband Chuza was an officer in Herod's court; and Susanna, and many other women who used their own resources to help Jesus and his disciples.

"Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it up.

Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up with the plants and choked them.

His disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant,

"This is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God.

The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who hear the message and receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them; they believe only for a while but when the time of testing comes, they fall away.

The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.

"Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be found and brought to light.

Jesus' mother and brothers came to him, but were unable to join him because of the crowd.

Jesus said to them all, "My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

As they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. Suddenly a strong wind blew down on the lake, and the boat began to fill with water, so that they were all in great danger.

Then he said to the disciples, "Where is your faith?" But they were amazed and afraid, and said to one another, "Who is this man? He gives orders to the winds and waves, and they obey him!"

As Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a man from the town who had demons in him. For a long time this man had gone without clothes and would not stay at home, but spent his time in the burial caves.

He said this because Jesus had ordered the evil spirit to go out of him. Many times it had seized him, and even though he was kept a prisoner, his hands and feet tied with chains, he would break the chains and be driven by the demon out into the desert.

The demons begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss.

They went out of the man and into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.

People went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid.

Then all the people from that territory asked Jesus to go away, because they were terribly afraid. So Jesus got into the boat and left.

"Go back home and tell what God has done for you." The man went through the town, telling what Jesus had done for him.

Then a man named Jairus arrived; he was an official in the local synagogue. He threw himself down at Jesus' feet and begged him to go to his home,

Among them was a woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years; she had spent all she had on doctors, but no one had been able to cure her.

Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" Everyone denied it, and Peter said, "Master, the people are all around you and crowding in on you."

The woman saw that she had been found out, so she came trembling and threw herself at Jesus' feet. There in front of everybody, she told him why she had touched him and how she had been healed at once.

While Jesus was saying this, a messenger came from the official's house. "Your daughter has died," he told Jairus; "don't bother the Teacher any longer."

When he arrived at the house, he would not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother.

They all made fun of him, because they knew that she was dead.

Her life returned, and she got up at once, and Jesus ordered them to give her something to eat.