The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 13

22:10. And he put forth his hand, and took the sword, to sacrifice his son.

22:11. And behold, an angel of the Lord from heaven called to him, saying: Abraham, Abraham. And he answered: Here I am.

22:12. And he said to him: Lay not thy hand upon the boy, neither do thou any thing to him: now I know that thou fearest G.o.d, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake.

22:13. Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw behind his back a ram, amongst the briers, sticking fast by the horns, which he took and offered for a holocaust instead of his son.

22:14. And he called the name of that place, The Lord seeth. Whereupon, even to this day, it is said: In the mountain the Lord will see.

22:15. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, saying:

22:16. By my own self have I sworn, saith the Lord: because thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake:

22:17. I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea sh.o.r.e; thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies.

22:18. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice.

22:19. Abraham returned to his young men, and they went to Bersabee together, and he dwelt there.

22:20. After these things, it was told Abraham, that Melcha also had borne children to Nachor his brother.

22:21. Hus, the firstborn, and Buz, his brother, and Camuel the father of the Syrians,

22:22. And Cased, and Azau, and Pheldas, and Jedlaph,

22:23. And Bathuel, of whom was born Rebecca: these eight did Melcha bear to Nachor, Abraham's brother.

22:24. And his concubine, named Roma, bore Tabee, and Gaham, and Tahas, and Maacha.

Genesis Chapter 23

Sara's death and burial in the field bought of Ephron.

23:1. And Sara lived a hundred and twenty-seven years.

23:2. And she died in the city of Arbee which is Hebron, in the land of Chanaan: and Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.

23:3. And after he rose up from the funeral obsequies, he spoke to the children of Heth, saying:

23:4. I am a stranger and sojourner among you: give me the right of a burying place with you, that I may bury my dead.

23:5. The children of Heth answered, saying:

23:6. My lord, hear us, thou art a prince of G.o.d among us: bury thy dead in our princ.i.p.al sepulchres: and no man shall have power to hinder thee from burying thy dead in his sepulchre.

23:7. Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land, to wit, the children of Heth:

Bowed down to the people... Adoravit, literally adored. But this word here, as well as in many other places in the Latin scriptures, is used to signify only an inferior honour and reverence paid to men, expressed by a bowing down of the body.

23:8. And said to them: If it please your soul that I should bury my dead, hear me, and intercede for me to Ephron the son of Seor.

23:9. That he may give me the double cave, which he hath in the end of his field: For as much money as it is worth he shall give it me before you, for a possession of a burying place.

23:10. Now Ephron dwelt in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron made answer to Abraham in the hearing of all that went in at the gate of the city, saying:

23:11. Let it not be so, my lord, but do thou rather hearken to what I say: The field I deliver to thee, and the cave that is therein; in the presence of the children of my people, bury thy dead.

23:12. Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.

23:13. And he spoke to Ephron, in the presence of the people: I beseech thee to hear me: I will give money for the field; take it, and so will I bury my dead in it.

23:14. And Ephron answered:

23:15. My lord, hear me. The ground which thou desirest, is worth four hundred sicles of silver: this is the price between me and thee: but what is this? bury thy dead.

23:16. And when Abraham had heard this, he weighed out the money that Ephron had asked, in the hearing of the children of Heth, four hundred sicles of silver, of common current money.

23:17. And the field that before was Ephron's, wherein was the double cave, looking towards Mambre, both it and the cave, and all the trees thereof, in all its limits round about,

23:18. Was made sure to Abraham for a possession, in the sight of the children of Heth, and of all that went in at the gate of his city.

23:19. And so Abraham buried Sara, his wife, in the double cave of the field, that looked towards Mambre, this is Hebron in the land of Chanaan.

23:20. And the field was made sure to Abraham, and the cave that was in it, for a possession to bury in, by the children of Heth.

Genesis Chapter 24

Abraham's servant, sent by him into Mesopotamia, bringeth from thence Rebecca, who is married to Isaac.

24:1. Now Abraham was old, and advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed him in all things.

24:2. And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was ruler over all he had: Put thy hand under my thigh,

24:3. That I may make thee swear by the Lord, the G.o.d of heaven and earth, that thou take not a wife for my son, of the daughters of the Chanaanites, among whom I dwell:

24:4. But that thou go to my own country and kindred, and take a wife from thence for my son Isaac.

24:5. The servant answered: If the woman will not come with me into this land, must I bring thy son back again to the place from whence thou camest out?

24:6. And Abraham said: Beware thou never bring my son back again thither.

24:7. The Lord G.o.d of heaven, who took me out of my father's house, and out of my native country, who spoke to me, and swore to me, saying: To thy seed will I give this land: he will send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take from thence a wife for my son.

He will send his angel before thee... This shows that the Hebrews believed that G.o.d gave them guardian angels for their protection.

24:8. But if the woman will not follow thee, thou shalt not be bound by the oath: only bring not my son back thither again.

24:9. The servant, therefore, put his hand under the thigh of Abraham, his lord, and swore to him upon his word.