Genesis 21:22
וֽ͏ַיְהִי֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֗לֶךְ
And it came about at that time,
that Avimelech (my father is king) said to Avraham,
וּפִיכֹל֙ שַׂר־צְבָא֔וֹ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר
in company with Phicol (Mouth-of-all) the captain of his army, saying thus:
אֱלֹהִ֣ים עִמְּךָ֔ בְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֖ה עֹשֶֽׂה׃
“God is with you, in everything that you are doing”;
Genesis 21:23
וְעַתָּ֗ה הִשָּׁ֨בְעָה לִּ֤י בֵֽאלֹהִים֙ הֵ֔נָּה
“Now then,
I would that you pledge yourself to me by God, right here,
אִם־תִּשְׁקֹ֣ר לִ֔י וּלְנִינִ֖י וּלְנֶכְדִּ֑י
that you will not act falsely to me,
and to both my present offspring and to my posterity;
כַּחֶ֜סֶד אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֤יתִי עִמְּךָ֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה עִמָּדִ֔י
According to the kindness,
that which I have carried out with you,
you shall carry out in solidarity with me,
וְעִם־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־גַּ֥רְתָּה בָּֽהּ׃
And with the country, that which you have sojourned in;”
Genesis 21:24
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם
And Avraham responded,
אָנֹכִ֖י אִשָּׁבֵֽעַ׃
“I will pledge myself”;
Genesis 21:25
וְהוֹכִ֥חַ אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ
Then Avraham reproved Avimelech;
עַל־אֹדוֹת֙ בְּאֵ֣ר הַמַּ֔יִם
On account of the well of water,
אֲשֶׁ֥ר גָּזְל֖וּ עַבְדֵ֥י אֲבִימֶֽלֶךְ׃
That which Avimelech’s servants had seized;
Genesis 21:26
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי
And Avimelech responded:
“I didn’t know
מִ֥י עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה
who did this thing;
וְגַם־אַתָּ֞ה לֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתָּ לִּ֗י
And even you, you didn’t tell me,
וְגַ֧ם אָנֹכִ֛י לֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי בִּלְתִּ֥י הַיּֽוֹם׃
And I also, I hadn’t heard, except today!”
Genesis 21:27
וַיִּקַּ֤ח אַבְרָהָם֙ צֹ֣אן וּבָקָ֔ר
Then Avraham took sheep and cattle,
וַיִּתֵּ֖ן לַאֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ
and gave them to Avimelech,
וַיִּכְרְת֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם בְּרִֽית׃
And the two of them cut a covenant.
Genesis 21:28
וַיַּצֵּ֣ב אַבְרָהָ֗ם
Then Avraham set
אֶת־שֶׁ֛בַע כִּבְשֹׂ֥ת הַצֹּ֖אן לְבַדְּהֶֽן׃
seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
Genesis 21:29
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם
And Avimelech said to Avraham,
מָ֣ה הֵ֗נָּה שֶׁ֤בַע כְּבָשֹׂת֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה
“What are they for, these seven ewe lambs,
אֲשֶׁ֥ר הִצַּ֖בְתָּ לְבַדָּֽנָה׃
those which you have set apart?”
Genesis 21:30
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֚י אֶת־שֶׁ֣בַע כְּבָשֹׂ֔ת
And he answered:
“Verily, the seven ewe lambs,
תִּקַּ֖ח מִיָּדִ֑י
You shall take from my hand;
בַּעֲבוּר֙ תִּֽהְיֶה־לִּ֣י לְעֵדָ֔ה
In order that the transaction shall become my witness,
כִּ֥י חָפַ֖רְתִּי אֶת־הַבְּאֵ֥ר הַזֹּֽאת׃
that I dug this well!”
Genesis 21:31
עַל־כֵּ֗ן קָרָ֛א לַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא בְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע
Therefore he had named that place
Be-er Sheva (Well of Seven/Pledge);
כִּ֛י שָׁ֥ם נִשְׁבְּע֖וּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃
Because there the two of them
had pledged themselves;
Genesis 21:32
וַיִּכְרְת֥וּ בְרִ֖ית בִּבְאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע
And also they cut the covenant at Be’er Sheva.
וַיָּ֣קָם אֲבִימֶ֗לֶךְ וּפִיכֹל֙ שַׂר־צְבָא֔וֹ
Then Avimelech arose,
together with Phicol, the captain of his army,
וַיָּשֻׁ֖בוּ אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃
And they returned to the Land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:33
וַיִּטַּ֥ע אֶ֖שֶׁל בִּבְאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע
Then Avraham planted a Tamarisk tree at Be’er Sheva,
וַיִּ֨קְרָא־שָׁ֔ם בְּשֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֵ֥ל עוֹלָֽם׃
And there he invoked the name of the LORD,
Who is the God of Eternity.
Genesis 21:34
וַיָּ֧גָר אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים
And Avraham sojourned in the Land of the Philistines
יָמִ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ פ
many days.
Website translation into English by E.G. Van Gent.
The Hebrew Masoretic Text is Unicode/XML version 1.3 Leningrad Codex,
Build 26.4 from tanach.us
Audio excerpts from
Tanakh audio recording by Rabbi Dan Be’eri
Chapter 21:22-34 Hebrew Audio with insertion of verse 34 by EG Van Gent
