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ABRAHAM now removed to
Gerar of
Palestine, leading Sarah along with
him, under the notion of his sister, using the like dissimulation that
he had used before, and this out of fear: for he was afraid of Abimelech,
the king of that country, who did also himself fall in love with Sarah,
and was disposed to corrupt her; but he was restrained from satisfying
his lust by a dangerous distemper which befell him from God. Now when his
physicians despaired of curing him, he fell asleep, and saw a dream, warning
him not to abuse the stranger's wife; and when he recovered, he told his
friends that God had inflicted that disease upon him, by way of punishment,
for his injury to the stranger; and in order to preserve the chastity of
his wife, for that she did not accompany him as his sister, but as his
legitimate wife; and that God had promised to be gracious to him for the
time to come, if this person be once secure of his wife's chastity. When
he had said this, by the advice of his friends, he sent for Abraham, and
bid him not to be concerned about his wife, or fear the corruption of her
chastity; for that God took care of him, and that it was by his providence
that he received his wife again, without her suffering any abuse. And he
appealed to God, and to his wife's conscience; and said that he had not
any inclination at first to enjoy her, if he had known she was his wife;
but since, said he, thou leddest her about as thy sister, I was guilty
of no offense. He also entreated him to be at peace with him, and to make
God propitious to him; and that if he thought fit to continue with him,
he should have what he wanted in abundance; but that if he designed to
go away, he should be honorably conducted, and have whatsoever supply he
wanted when he came thither. Upon his saying this, Abraham told him that
his pretense of kindred to his wife was no lie, because she was his brother's
daughter; and that he did not think himself safe in his travels abroad,
without this sort of dissimulation; and that he was not the cause of his
distemper, but was only solicitous for his own safety: he said also, that
he was ready to stay with him. Whereupon Abimelech assigned him land and
money; and they coventanted to live together without guile, and took an
oath at a certain well called
Beersheba, which may be interpreted,
The
Well of the Oath: and so it is named by the people of the country unto
this day.
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213]
Now in a little time Abraham had a son by Sarah, as God had foretold
to him, whom he named Isaac, which signifies
Laughter. And indeed
they so called him, because Sarah laughed when God
2
said that she should bear a son, she not expecting such a thing, as being
past the age of child-bearing, for she was ninety years old, and Abraham
a hundred; so that this son was born to them both in the last year of each
of those decimal numbers. And they circumcised him upon the eighth day
and from that time the Jews continue the custom of circumcising their sons
within that number of days. But as for the Arabians, they circumcise after
the thirteenth year, because Ismael, the founder of their nation, who was
born to Abraham of the concubine, was circumcised at that age; concerning
whom I will presently give a particular account, with great exactness.
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215]
As for Sarah, she at first loved Ismael, who was born of her own
handmaid Hagar, with an affection not inferior to that of her own son,
for he was brought up in order to succeed in the government; but when she
herself had borne Isaac, she was not willing that Ismael should be brought
up with him, as being too old for him, and able to do him injuries when
their father should be dead; she therefore persuaded Abraham to send him
and his mother to some distant country. Now, at the first, he did not agree
to what Sarah was so zealous for, and thought it an instance of the greatest
barbarity, to send away a young child
3
and a woman unprovided of necessaries; but at length he agreed to it, because
God was pleased with what Sarah had determined: so he delivered Ismael
to his mother, as not yet able to go by himself; and commanded her to take
a bottle of water, and a loaf of bread, and so to depart, and to take Necessity
for her guide. But as soon as her necessary provisions failed, she found
herself in an evil case; and when the water was almost spent, she laid
the young child, who was ready to expire, under a fig-tree, and went on
further, that so he might die while she was absent. But a Divine Angel
came to her, and told her of a fountain hard by, and bid her take care,
and bring up the child, because she should be very happy by the preservation
of Ismael. She then took courage, upon the prospect of what was promised
her, and, meeting with some shepherds, by their care she got clear of the
distresses she had been in.
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When the lad was grown up, he married a wife, by birth an Egyptian,
from whence the mother was herself derived originally. Of this wife were
born to Ismael twelve sons; Nabaioth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mabsam, Idumas, Masmaos,
Masaos, Chodad, Theman, Jetur, Naphesus, Cadmas. These inhabited all the
country from
Euphrates to the
Red Sea, and called it Nabatene. They are
an Arabian nation, and name their tribes from these, both because of their
own virtue, and because of the dignity of Abraham their father.