Abraham

**Abraham** (originally Abram) was the son of Terah and the wife of Sarah.

## Life Story

[Genesis 11:] Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldees to his father, Terah. Abram's brother, Haran, died relatively young. Abram married his half-sister, Sarai (Sarah's original name), but she was unable to conceive children. Terah, Abram, Sarah, and Lot (Abram's nephew), left the Ur of the Chaldees and moved to the city of Haran, where Terah died.

[Genesis 12:] God told Abram to leave Haran, because God would bless him and make him a great nation. Abram left with his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, and went to the land of Canaan. God gave him this land, and Abram built an altar. Then Abram settled in Bethel, and built another altar. When a famine struck, Abram went to Egypt. He told Sarai to pretend to be his sister so they wouldn’t kill him to take his wife. They got to Egypt, the Egyptians liked Sarai and she lived with the Pharaoh, and Abram became wealthy and successful. Then God struck the Pharaoh with plagues. The Pharaoh, angry that Abram lied, sent Abram and Sarai away.

[Genesis 13:] Abram and Sarai went back to Bethel. Abram and Lot both had too many possessions, and conflicts were breaking out between their herders, so they couldn’t both live in the same land. They decided that Lot would go north and settle in the Jordan Valley while Abram would stay in Canaan. God told Abram that he and his descendants would always have this land, and Abram settled by the oaks of Mamre in the city of Hebron, and built another altar.

[Genesis 14:] During a war between alliances of kings, Lot was kidnapped by King Chedorlaomer while living in Sodom. When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he took 318 of his servants and partnered with his allies, Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner, and attacked they Cherdorlaomer’s men at night, chasing them far away. Abram got back Lot and all of the looted property. King Bera came out to meet with him, and another king, Melchizedek, blessed Abram. Abram gave Melchizdek a tenth of everything. Bera offered for Abram to keep the goods, but Abram declined taking any loot, other than the fair share of the men that had helped him.

[Genesis 15:] God came to Abram and said he would be rewarded. God promised that Abram, who had no children, would have as many children as there are stars in the sky. Abram brought God animal sacrifices. God told him that his descendants would at first live as slaves, but would eventually get great wealth. God promised Abram’s descendants the land from the Nile to the Euphrates.

[Genesis 16:] Since Sarai could not bare children, she told Abram to have children with her servant, Hagar. Abram did so, but when she became pregnant, Hagar lost respect for Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram. She harshly punished Hagar, who ran away. God convinced Hagar to come back, and Hagar gave birth to Abram's first son, Ishmael, when Abram was 86.

## Family

* Sarah - wife (and half-sister, they share the same father)
* Ishmael - eldest son
* Terah - father
* Nahor (II) - brother
* Haran - brother
* Lot - nephew
* Milcah - niece, daughter of Haran (and technically sister-in-law, wife of Nahor)
* Iscah - niece, daughter of Haran
* Noah - 8th-great-grandfather
* Adam and Eve - 17th-great-grandparents