In the Genesis section of Bible Abram is mentioned as the son of Terah, who fathered Abram and his two brothers Nahor and Haran at the age of 70 years. Haran died quite early leaving behind his son Lot to the care of his grandfather.

The name of Abram’s wife as Sarai and she was barren; she bore no children.

Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife and they settled in the land of Haran. Terah lived for 205 years and died in Haran.

God’s Covenant with Abram

Abram had a vision of God who commanded him to go and settle in the land of Canaan where he will be blessed and his offsprings will become a great nation.

So Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot and their people and possessions that they had gathered in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. As Abram journeyed he built an altar to the Lord where the Lord appeared to him and promised him the land of Canaan to his offspring.

When Abram passed through the land of Egypt, the Egyptian pharaoh took Sarai for she was beautiful in appearance, but spared Abram for they told him that she was his sister.

But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So the pharaoh returned her to Abram and let them go along with their possessions.

Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold and so was Lot who also had flocks and herds and tents.

Now when they were dwelling together at the land of Negeb, there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lots livestock.

Abram being a righteous man said to Lot, “Let there be strife between you and me and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen for we are of same kin.”. He asked Lot to choose any land to their left or to their right and settle there, while he himself will settle in the other along with his herdsmen.

Lot lifted his head and saw the Jordan valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the lord. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley and jouneyed east. Thus Abram chose to settle in Canaan while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as fae as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

When Lot separated from Abrams the LORD again appeared to Abram and blessed that his offsprings will be as countless as the dust of the earth and all the land that he could see in all directions will belong to him and his offspring forever, in its length and breadth.

In the meanwhile, Sodom where Lot and his men were dwelling was attacked and looted by enemy forces who also took captive Lot and his men, along with all the provisions of Sodom and Gomorrah and went away.

When Abram heard that his kinsmen have been taken captive, he led forth his trained men 318 in number and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided hi s forces against them by night, he and his servants, and defeated them pursued them to Hobah north of Damascus. He then brought back all his kinsmen, women and the possessions. After the victory, Abram returned all the share of the king of Sodom back to him who in turn blessed Abram and praised the LORD.

Ishmael’s birth

The word of God came to Abram in a vision, ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord what will thou give me, for I continue childless and a slave born in my house will be my heir’. And behold. The word of Lord came to him and took him outside and said ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your dependents be.’ And Abram believed the Lord; and he reckoned him as righteousness.

Now Sarai Abram’s wife had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. She asked Abram to beget children with Hagar, so that she may obtain children. So after Abram had lived 10 years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, took Hagar her Egyptian slave and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. But when the marriage was consummated and Hagar conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress, Sarai.

Sarai complained to Abram about Hagar’s behavior and Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her and she fled from her.

The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, and asked her to return to her mistress Sarai and submit to her. He asked her to name her son as Ishmael, because the Lord had listened to her affliction. He further said that he would be a wild donkey of a man and will always prevail against his kinsmen in battle. He further promised her that her offsprings will be multiplied so that they cannot be numbered by multitude. 

Soon Hagar bore Abram a son, who was called Ishmael. Abram was eighty six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

When Abram was 99 years old God again appeared to Abram and blessed Abram to be the father of multitude of nations. No longer would he be called Abram but Abraham which means the father of multitude of nations.

Abraham was also asked by God to follow the tradition of circumcision of the flesh of foreskins of every male  child born throughout his generations, as a sign of the covenant between God and him.

Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai you shall not call her name Sarai but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her’. Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is hundred years old? Shall Sarah who is ninety years old bear a child?’. God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my everlasting covenant with him and his offspring. As for Ishmael I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Birth of Isaac

As Abraham was resting at the door of his tent he saw three men standing before him. Abraham recognized them as God’s angels and served them bread and washed their feet with water.

They said to him that his wife Sarah will bear him a child in a year’s time. But Abraham and Sarah were incredulous since she was too old to conceive a child. They assured him that nothing was hard for the LORD, and Sarah would bear a son the next year. God hid from Abraham that He had chosen him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he had promised him.

Then the angels went on to destroy the people of Sodom and Gomorrah whose sin was very grave. But on Abraham’s intercession they saved Lot and his daughters for they were righteous.

Sarah gives birth to a son and they call him Isaac. As he grew he was weaned with a great feast. But Sarah saw Ishmael, the son of Hagar the Egyptian, laughing and teasing the young Isaac. She was very displeased and asked Abraham to cast the save woman and her son out. Abraham became very sad on account of his son, but God appeared to him and told him not to worry as he would make a great nation of Ishmael since he was his son.

So Abraham rose early in the morning and took some bread and skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder along with the child and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Soon they ran out of water and the thirsty child was about to die. Hagar sat opposite to the child, closed her eyes, unable to see the dying child, and wept profusely. And behold an angel from heaven called to Hagar and said to her, ”Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand for I will make him a great nation!”. Then God opened her eyes and behold there was a well of water. She filled the skin with water and gave it to the boy. They lived in the wilderness and the boy grew up to become an expert with the bow. His mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt.

Abraham’s Faith

After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here am I’. He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’

So Abraham rose early in the morning saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.’ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘My father!’. And he said, ‘Here am I, my son.’ He said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’. Abraham said, ‘God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So they went both of them together.

When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in orders and bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said ‘Here am I’. He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing  you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me’. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked and behold behind him was a ram, caught in the thicket by his horns and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide; as is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’

Sarah lived for 127 years and Abraham died at the age of 175 years, and was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael.