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For they say that fate is a certain compelling power and a mover of matter. But others again, introducing an unprovident and godless or chance impulse, as if all things move automatically (for they say that chance is a cause by accident and a symptom of nature or of choice), these too, falling into the same errors, arrive at the uttermost depths of destruction and the chasms of Hades. Therefore, when the aforementioned king of Gerar, Abimelech, saw that Abraham was prospering in every work, taking with him Ochozath his friend and Phichol the chief captain of his army, he came to Abraham, to ratify a stronger friendship, and demanding an oath that he would not deal falsely with him, nor with his seed. As I have dealt justly with you in this land where you have sojourned, so also you will deal with me and with my seed, when you shall be king of this land. For kings are skilled at discerning by all sorts of signs the one who is going to succeed them; for indeed Abraham was destined to rule that land through those born from him. And he reproached Abimelech concerning the wells that had been taken away by his servants. Therefore, being there by the well, and having sacrificed sheep and calves, they both made a covenant of peace, and with seven other ewe lambs they made the oath according to custom as proof that he himself had dug it, for which reason it was also named the well of the oath.

1.57 And thus having made a peaceful covenant there, Abimelech returned home with his own people, but Abraham, having planted a field or a grove at the well of the oath, called upon the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. Therefore, having come to a ripe old age, and being one hundred and seventy-six years old, Abraham passed away to God. His sons Isaac and Ishmael laid him in the double cave with Sarah. After these things, when Isaac was grown, there was a famine in their land. But he is forbidden by God to go down into Egypt, and with his whole household he comes to Gerar to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines. And he himself also says concerning Rebekah, as Abraham did concerning Sarah, that "She is my sister"; for she was very beautiful. But Abimelech, knowing from their sport that she was his wife, reproaches him for having hidden the truth, and declares that anyone who touches Isaac and Rebekah shall be liable to death. Thus the Lord blessed Isaac to the end, so that the Philistines envied him, and stopped up all the wells which Abraham had dug. After this, having moved into the valley of Gerar, he cleaned out his father's wells. And he himself also dug three wells, of which he named the one Injustice, the second Enmity, and the third Roominess. From there Isaac went up to the well of the oath, and the Lord appeared to him in a vision of the night, saying, "I am the God of your father Abraham, and I am with you, and I will bless you, and I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, for the sake of Abraham your 1.58 father." So Isaac built an altar there and offered a sacrifice to the Lord, and pitched his tent in that same place. And just as with Abraham before, so also with Isaac after these things, Abimelech himself, the king of Gerar, and Ochozath his friend, and Phichol the chief captain of his army, knowing that the Lord was with him, came to him and made a covenant of peace with one another, and rising early in the morning and swearing an oath, they departed from him in peace. And from the division of the confusion, until Abraham came from Mesopotamia from the city of Haran and from the house of his father according to the command of God into the land of Canaan, which is Palestine, there were 616 years. He was then 75 years old. And having spent 25 years in Canaan he begot Isaac, and after this he lived 75 years, and died, having lived in all one hundred and seventy-six years. who also received the blessings of Melchizedek the divine king of Salem, bread and wine; for he was a priest of the most high God, as has been said before. When Isaac was 32 years old, Sarah died, being one hundred and eight years of age. And she is buried in Hebron,

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εἱμαρμένην γὰρ ἀναγκαστικὴν εἶναί τινα δύναμιν καὶ τῆς ὕλης φασὶ κινητικήν. οἱ δὲ πάλιν ἀπρονόητον φορὰν καὶ ἄθεον ἢ τυ χαίαν εἰσηγούμενοι ὡς αὐτομάτως τῶν πάντων φερομένων (τύχην γὰρ αἰτίαν κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς καὶ σύμπτωμα φύσεως ἢ προαιρέ σεως εἶναι λέγουσι), καὶ οὗτοι πάλιν τοῖς ἴσοις περιπίπτοντες εἰς ἐσχάτους βυθοὺς ἀπωλείας καὶ βάραθρα ᾅδου καταντῶσιν. Ἰδὼν οὖν ὁ προειρημένος βασιλεὺς Γεράρων Ἀβιμέλεχ ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ εὐοδούμενον τὸν Ἀβραάμ, Ὀχοζὰδ τὸν νυμφαγωγὸν καὶ Φίλοχ τὸν ἀρχιστράτηγον αὐτοῦ παραλαβὼν ἧκε πρὸς Ἀβραάμ, φιλίαν ἐπικυρῶν κραταιοτέραν, καὶ ὅρκον ἀπαιτῶν μὴ ἀδικήσειν μήτ' αὐτὸν μήτε τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ. καθὼς ἐγὼ ἐποίησα μετὰ σοῦ δικαιοσύνην ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ γῇ ᾗ παρῴκησας, οὕτω καὶ σὺ μετ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ σπέρματός μου, ὅταν βασιλεύσεις ταύτης τῆς γῆς. δεινοὶ γὰρ οἱ βασιλεῖς τὸν μέλλοντα τούτους διαδέχεσθαι παντο δαποῖς τεκμαίρεσθαι συμβόλοις· καὶ γὰρ ἔμελλε διὰ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννωμένων ἐκείνης τῆς γῆς βασιλεύειν Ἀβραάμ. προσωνείδισε δὲ τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ περὶ τῶν ἀφῃρημένων φρεάτων ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων. ἐκεῖ οὖν παρὰ τὸ φρέαρ γενόμενοι, καὶ πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους τεθυκότες, διαθήκην εἰρήνης ἀμφότεροι διέθεντο, ἐν ἑπτὰ δὲ ἀμνάσιν ἑτέραις τὸν ὁρκισμὸν κατ' ἔθος ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀπόδειξιν ὅτι ὤρυξεν αὐτός, διὸ καὶ φρέαρ ὅρκου ὠνόμασται.

1.57 Kαὶ οὕτως ἐκεῖσε εἰρηνικὰς διαθέμενοι, Ἀβιμέλεχ μὲν μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων οἴκαδε ἐπανῆλθεν, Ἀβραὰμ δὲ ἄρουραν ἢ λειμῶνα ἐπὶ τῷ τοῦ ὅρκου φρέατι φυτεύσας τὸ ὄνομα ἐπικέκληκε κυρίου, θεὸς αἰώνιος. εἰς βαθὺ οὖν γῆρας ἐλάσας Ἀβραάμ, καὶ γενόμενος ἐτῶν ρο ϛʹ, μετέστη πρὸς τὸν θεόν. τοῦτον Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰσμαὴλ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ διπλῷ σπηλαίῳ μετὰ Σάρρας κατέθεντο. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνδρωθέντος Ἰσαὰκ ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἐν τῇ γῇ αὐτῶν. κωλύεται δὲ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς Αἴγυπτον κατελθεῖν, πανοικὶ δὲ εἰς Γέραρα πρὸς Ἀβιμέλεχ ἔρχεται τὸν βασιλέα Φιλι στιείμ. φησὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς περὶ Ῥεβέκκας ὡς Ἀβραὰμ περὶ Σάρρας, ὅτι ἀδελφή μου ἐστίν· ἦν γὰρ ὡραία σφόδρα. ἐκ δὲ τῆς παιδιᾶς γνοὺς Ἀβιμέλεχ γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ εἶναι, αὐτὸν μὲν μέμφε ται ὡς τἀληθὲς ἀποκρυψάμενον, ἀποφαίνεται δὲ πάντα τὸν ἁπτό μενον Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ῥεβέκκας ἐνέχεσθαι θανάτῳ. οὕτως εὐλόγησε κύριος τὸν Ἰσαὰκ ἕως τέλους ὥστε ζηλῶσαι τοῦτον τοὺς Φιλιστιείμ, καὶ πάντα τὰ φρέατα ἃ ὤρυξεν Ἀβραὰμ ἐμφράξαι. μετὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ φάραγγι Γεράρων μεταβεβηκὼς ἀνεκάθηρε τὰ πατρικὰ φρέατα. ὤρυξε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς φρέατα τρία, ὧν τὸ μὲν ἀδικίαν, τὸ δὲ ἔχθραν, τὸ δὲ τρίτον εὐρυχωρίαν ὠνόμασεν. ἐντεῦθεν ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου Ἰσαάκ, καὶ ὤφθη αὐτῷ κύριος ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς λέγων "ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου Ἀβραάμ, καὶ ἐγώ εἰμι μετά σου, καὶ εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πλη θυνῶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, δι' Ἀβραὰμ τὸν 1.58 πατέρα σου." ἐκεῖ οὖν ὁ Ἰσαὰκ θυσιαστήριον δειμάμενος θυ σίαν τῷ κυρίῳ ἀνέπεμψε, καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τόπῳ κατέπηξεν. ὥσπερ δὲ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ πρότερον, οὕτω καὶ πρὸς Ἰσαὰκ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτός τε Ἀβιμέλεχ ὁ Γεράρων βασιλεὺς καὶ Ὀχοζὰδ ὁ νυμφαγωγὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ Φιλὸχ ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος τῆς δυ νάμεως αὐτοῦ, εἰδότες ὅτι κύριος ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθόντες διαθήκην εἰρήνης πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ πρωῒ ἀναστάντες καὶ ὀμόσαντες ἀπῴχοντο μετὰ σωτηρίας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Γίνονται δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ διαμερισμοῦ τῆς συγχύσεως, ἕως οὗ ἦλθεν Ἀβραὰμ ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας ἐκ πόλεως Χαρρὰν καὶ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ κατὰ κέλευσιν θεοῦ εἰς γῆν Χαναάν, ἥ ἐστι Παλαιστίνη, ἔτη χι ϛʹ. ὑπῆρχε δὲ τότε ἐτῶν οεʹ. διατρίψας δὲ εἰς Χαναὰν ἔτη κεʹ ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἰσαάκ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἔζησεν ἔτη οεʹ, καὶ ἀπέθανε ζήσας τὰ πάντα ἔτη ρο ϛʹ. ὃς καὶ τὰς εὐ λογίας τοῦ Μελχισεδὲκ τοῦ θεσπεσίου βασιλέως Σαλὴμ ἐδέξατο, ἄρτους καὶ οἶνον· ἦν γὰρ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὡς προεί ρηται. Τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ ὄντος χρόνων λβʹ τελευτᾷ Σάρρα, ἐτῶν οὖσα ἑκατὸν ὀκτώ. καὶ θάπτεται ἐν Χεβρών,