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and to Melchizedek who blessed him, who brought out both bread and wine, he gave a tenth. Therefore Paul says in the letter to the Hebrews, that And Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes. Having been asked by the king of Sodom to take the horses, he did not consent; Lest you should say, he says, I have made Abraham rich. Then when God said to him, that Your reward shall be very great, he laments his childlessness; and he hears again, that he who will come forth from him will be his heir, and that his seed will be as the stars of heaven. Here lies the passage, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. He makes the divided animals, and learns that his seed will be a sojourner, and that after these things it will be delivered, after being afflicted for four hundred years. But Sarah, since she was barren, gives Hagar to Abraham, so that he might have a child by her. But when she conceived, she was lifted up against her mistress; and Abraham gives her to Sarah, so that she might avenge her own insult. But she, having been mistreated by her mistress, fled from the house, and is commanded by an angel to return to her mistress; and she receives a promise that her seed will increase to a multitude, and the angel gives a name to the child before he is born, calling him Ishmael. Hagar bore Ishmael, and Abraham at ninety-nine years of age had his name changed. For he was no longer called Abram, but Abraham. He is commanded by God to be circumcised, he and his whole household. And the name of Sarai is changed, and she is called Sarah. And Abraham receives a promise concerning Isaac. The Son 56.320 of God appears to Abraham with two angels, and says to him: I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son. Abraham prays to God on behalf of Sodom. The two angels come to Lot. The Sodomites came and sought them, and are struck with blindness. But the angels took Lot and went out of the house; and he is saved along with his daughters to Zoar; but his wife became a pillar of salt, because she looked back. But when the land of Sodom was burned, Lot went up to the mountain, and his daughters conceived by him, and the elder bore Moab, and the younger Ammon; and they stole the union with their father by means of drunkenness; for they thought that the human race had perished. Abraham sojourned in Gerar, and Abimelech king of Gerar took Sarah; but when God threatened him, he made his defense, saying that he had supposed the woman was his sister; for so she herself had said. And he returned her to Abraham with gifts. Then having been returned, she bears Isaac. And she casts the handmaid out of the house with the child Ishmael. And Abimelech makes a covenant with Abraham, that they should not wrong one another, and he receives seven ewe lambs from Abraham, as a witness for the well of the oath, that it might be clear that it is Abraham's. He is commanded to offer up his son as a whole burnt offering, and he is brought up, and a ram is slain in his place. And these were types of the coming economy to be fulfilled by Christ on our behalf. Sarah dies, and Abraham, having bought a place from Ephron the Hittite, buries his wife there, and sends his servant to betroth a wife for Isaac from Mesopotamia, having commanded him not to take his son back there, if the woman should not wish to come. And when the servant came to the city of Nahor, he asked for the sign by which he was to recognize the virgin; and the sign was, that she should give both him and his camels to drink; Rebekah comes out, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor; and Nahor was the brother of Abraham; and having given both him and the camels to drink, and having said whose daughter she was, she brings the man in and offers him hospitality. And when he said for what reason he had come, and asked to take the maiden, the parents permitted the choice to the virgin. And when she consented, he took her and departed; and she became Isaac's wife. Abraham takes a wife, Keturah, after Sarah died, and the sons born of her he sent away from Isaac, having given gifts
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καὶ τῷ μὲν Μελχισεδὲκ εὐλογήσαντι αὐτὸν, ἐξενεγκόντι ἄρτους τε καὶ οἶνον, δεκάτην ἔδωκε. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους, ὅτι Καὶ ὁ Λευὶς ὁ δεκάτας λαμβάνων δεδεκάτωται. Ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως Σοδόμων παρακληθεὶς τὴν ἵππον λαβεῖν, οὐκ ἐπένευσεν· Ἵνα μὴ εἴπῃς, φησὶν, Ἐγὼ πεπλούτηκα τὸν Ἀβραάμ. Τότε τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπόντος, ὅτι Ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται, ἀποδύρεται τὴν ἀπαιδίαν· καὶ ἀκούει πάλιν, ὅτι ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐξελευσόμενος κληρονομήσει αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἔσται ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Ἐνταῦθα κεῖται τὸ, Ἐπίστευσεν Ἀβραὰμ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. Τὰ διχοτομήματα ποιεῖ, καὶ μανθάνει ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπαλλαγήσεται, μετὰ τὸ ταπεινωθῆναι ἔτη τετρακόσια. Σάῤῥα δὲ ἐπεὶ στεῖρα ἦν, δίδωσι τὴν Ἄγαρ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, ἵνα παιδοποιήσηται ἐξ αὐτῆς. Ὡς δὲ ἐκύει, ἐπήρθη κατὰ τῆς κυρίας αὐτῆς· καὶ δίδωσιν αὐτὴν τῇ Σάῤῥᾳ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, ὥστε ἀμῦναι τῇ ὕβρει τῇ ἑαυτῆς. Ἡ δὲ κακωθεῖσα ὑπὸ τῆς δεσποίνης, ἀπέδρα ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ κελεύεται ὑπὸ ἀγγέλου ἀποστραφῆναι πρὸς τὴν κυρίαν αὐτῆς· λαμβάνει τε ἐπαγγελίαν, ὅτι τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῆς ἐπιδώσει εἰς πλῆθος, καὶ ὄνομα τῷ παιδίῳ πρὶν ἢ τεχθῆναι ἐπιτίθησιν ὁ ἄγγελος, Ἰσμαὴλ αὐτὸν καλῶν. Ἔτεκεν ἡ Ἄγαρ τὸνἸσμαὴλ, καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἐτῶν ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα μετωνομάζετο. Οὐκέτι γὰρ Ἄβραμ, ἀλλὰ Ἀβραὰμ ἐκλήθη. Κελεύεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ περιτμηθῆναι αὐτὸς πανοικεσίᾳ. Καὶ τὸ τῆς Σάρας ὄνομα ἀμείβεται, καὶ καλεῖται Σάῤῥα. Καὶ λαμβάνει περὶ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ ἐπαγγελίαν ὁ Ἀβραάμ. Ἐπιφαίνεται τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὁ Υἱὸς 56.320 τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ δύο ἀγγέλων, καὶ λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐπανήξω πρὸς σὲ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰς ὥρας, καὶ ἕξει υἱὸν Σάῤῥα ἡ γυνή σου. Ἀβραὰμ δεῖται τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ Σοδόμων. Οἱ δύο ἄγγελοι ἔρχονται πρὸς τὸν Λώτ. Ἐπιστάντες οἱ Σοδομῖται ἐπεζήτουν αὐτοὺς, καὶ πλήττονται ἀορασίᾳ. Τὸν δὲ Λὼτ λαβόντες οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐξῆλθον τῆς οἰκίας· καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἅμα ταῖς θυγατράσι διασώζεται εἰς Σηγώρ· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ γέγονε στήλη ἁλὸς, ἐπειδὴ ἀπέβλεψεν εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω. Ὡς δὲ ἐνεπρήσθη ἡ Σοδομηνὴ, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Λὼτ, καὶ συνέλαβον ἐξ αὐτοῦ αἱ θυγατέρες αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ μὲν πρεσβυτέρα ἔτεκε τὸν Μωὰβ, ἡ δὲ νεωτέρα τὸν Ἀμμών· τὴν δὲ μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς μίξιν ἔκλεψαν τῇ μέθῃ· ᾤοντο γὰρ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἐκλελοιπέναι γένος. Παρῴκησεν ἐν Γεράροις ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Γεράρων Ἀβιμέλεχ ἔλαβε τὴν Σάῤῥαν· ἀπειλήσαντος δὲ αὐτῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀπελογεῖτο λέγων, ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ νενομικέναι τὴν γυναῖκα εἶναι· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὴ εἶπεν. Ἀπέδωκε δὲ αὐτὴν τῷ Ἀβραὰμ μετὰ δώρων. Τότε ἀποδοθεῖσα τίκτει τὸν Ἰσαάκ. Ἐκβάλλει δὲ τὴν παιδίσκην τῆς οἰκίας μετὰ τοῦ παιδίου Ἰσμαήλ. Ὁ δὲ Ἀβιμέλεχ τίθεται πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραὰδιαθήκην, ὥστε μὴ ἀδικῆσαι ἀλλήλους, καὶ λαμβάνει ἑπτὰ ἀμνάδας παρὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, εἰς μαρτύριον τοῦ φρέατος τοῦ ὁρκισμοῦ, ἵνα ᾖ δῆλον ὅτι τοῦ Ἀβραάμ ἐστι. Κελεύεται ἀνενέγκαι τὸν υἱὸν εἰς ὁλοκάρπωσιν, καὶ ἀναφέρεται, καὶ σφάζεται κριὸς ἀντ' αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα δὲ τύποι ἦσαν τῆς μελλούσης οἰκονομίας ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ τελεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Ἀποθνήσκει Σάῤῥα, καὶ ἀγοράσας τόπον ὁ Ἀβραὰμ παρὰ Ἐφρὼν τοῦ Χετταίου, θάπτει ἐκεῖ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ πέμπει τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, ὥστε μνηστεύσασθαι τῷ Ἰσαὰκ γυναῖκα ἀπὸ Μεσοποταμίας, παραγγείλας μὴ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκεῖ, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο ἐλθεῖν ἡ γυνή. Ὡς δὲ ἦλθεν ὁ παῖς εἰς τὴν πόλιν Ναχὼρ, καὶ τὸ σημεῖον ᾔτησε, καθ' ὃ ἤμελλε γνωρίζειν τὴν παρθένον· ἦν δὲ τὸ σημεῖον, παρασχεῖν ἐκείνην αὐτῷ τε καὶ ταῖς καμήλοις αὐτοῦ πιεῖν· ἐξέρχεται Ῥεβέκκα ἡ θυγάτηρ Βαθουὴλ τοῦ υἱοῦ Ναχώρ· ὁ δὲ Ναχὼρ ἀδελφὸς ἦν τοῦ Ἀβραάμ· δοῦσά τε αὐτῷ πιεῖν καὶ ταῖς καμήλοις, εἰποῦσά τε, τίνος εἴη θυγάτηρ, εἰσάγει τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ξενίζει. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἶπεν ἐκεῖνος, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἦλθε, καὶ ᾔτει τὴν παῖδα λαβεῖν, τῇ παρθένῳ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐπέτρεψαν οἱ γονεῖς. Ὡς δὲ ἐπένευσεν ἐκείνη, λαβὼν αὐτὴν ἀπῆλθε· καὶ ἐγένετο τῷ Ἰσαὰκ γυνή. Λαμβάνει ὁ Ἀβραὰμ γυναῖκα τὴν Χεττούραν, ἀποθανούσης Σάῤῥας, καὶ τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς γενομένους παῖδας ἐξαπέστειλεν ἀπὸ Ἰσαὰκ, δόματα δοὺς