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Shabbat Shalom!
Welcome to Lech Lecha / Go Forth - this week’s Torah reading

Prophecy 39, 122, 153;
Genesis 12:1-17:27
Isaiah 40:27-41:16
Matthew 1:1-17

Genesis 12:1-17:27

1 And YAHUVEH had said to Abram, Go out from your land and from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great; and you will be a blessing.
3 And I will bless those who bless you, and curse the one despising you. And in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.
4 And Abram went out, even as YAHUVEH had spoken to him. And Lot went with him. And Abram was a son of seventy five years when he departed from Haran.
5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, and his brother’s son, Lot, and all their substance that they had gained, and the persons they had gotten in Haran. And they went out to go into the land of Canaan. And they came into the land of Canaan.
6 And Abram passed through the land as far as the place of Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
7 And YAHUVEH appeared to Abram and said, I will give this set apart land to your seed. And he built an altar there to YAHUVEH, who appeared to him.
8 And he moved from there to a mountain on the east of Bethel, and stretched his tent with Bethel toward the sea, and Ai on the east. And he built an altar there to YAHUVEH, and called on the name of YAHUVEH.
9 And Abram setting forth and going on toward the Negev.
10 And a famine was in the land, so Abram went down into Egypt to stay there. For the famine was severe in the land.
11 And it happened when he had drawn near to come to Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, Behold, please, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look upon.
12 And it will be, when the Egyptians see you, then they will say, This is his wife, and they will kill me, and they will save you alive.
13 Please say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me for your sake, and my soul shall live because of you.
14 And it happened, when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
15 And Pharaoh’s princes saw her, and they praised her before Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
16 And he did good to Abram because of her. And he had sheep, and oxen, he-donkeys, and male slaves, and slave-girls, and she-donkeys, and camels.
17 And YAHUVEH touched Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
18 And Pharaoh called for Abram and said, What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she is your wife?
19 Why did you say, She is my sister? And so I took her for my wife. And now, behold your wife. Take her and go.
20 And as Pharaoh ordered his men as to him, they sent away him and his wife and all that he had.

*~Genesis Chapter 13 ~*

1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot being with him into the Negev.
2 And Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold.
3 And he went on his journeys from the south, even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been there at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,
4 to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first. And Abram called there on the name of YAHUVEH.
5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, for dwelling together, for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. And the Canaanite and the Perizzite lived then in the land.
8 And Abram said to Lot, Please let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are men, brothers.
9 Is not all the land before you? Please separate from me. If you go to the left, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the circuit of the Jordan, that it was well-watered before YAHUVEH destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of YAHUVEH, like the land of Egypt as you come to Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose all the circuit of the Jordan for himself. And Lot set forth eastward. And they were separated, each one from his brother.
12 And Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the circuit, and tented as far as Sodom.
13 And the men of Sodom were evil and sinners before YAHUVEH, exceedingly so.
14 And after Lot had separated from him, YAHUVEH said to Abram, Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are there, look northward and southward and eastward and westward.
15 For all the land which you see I will give to you, and to your seed always.
16 And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can count the dust of the earth, then your seed also will be counted.
17 Rise up! Walk through the land, in its length and in its breadth, for I will give it to you.
18 Then Abram moved his tent and came and lived among the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron; and he built an altar to YAHUVEH there.

*~Genesis Chapter 14 ~*

1 And it happened in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal king of the nations;
2 they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
3 All these were joined together to the valley of Siddim, which is the Salt Sea.
4 They served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, and the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 And in the fourteenth year Chedor-Laomer and the kings that were with him came and struck the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh Kiria-Thaim,
6 and the Horites in the hills of Seir, as far as the oak of Paran, which is by the wilderness.
7 And they turned back and came to Enmishpat which is Kadesh, and struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who lived in Hazazon Thamar.
8 And the king of Sodom went out, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. And they set the battle with them in the valley of Siddim,
9 with Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal the king of the nations, and Amraphel the king of Shinar, and Arioch the king of Ellasar; four kings with the five.
10 And the valley of Siddim was pitted with asphalt pits, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there. And they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went away.
12 And they took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, and his goods, and left; and he was living in Sodom.
13 And one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew; for he was living among the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and Aner. And these were possessor of a covenant with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was captured, even then he led out his trained men, born of his household, three hundred and eighteen. And they pursued as far as Dan.
15 And he divided against them by night, he and his slaves, and he struck them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is on the left of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother, and also the women and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he returned from smiting Chedorlaomer and the kings which were with him, to the valley of Shaveh, it being the valley of the king.
18 And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most High El.
19 And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high El, possessor of Heaven and earth;
20 and blessed be the most high El, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all.
21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons and take the goods for yourself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up my hand to YAHUVEH, the most high El, the possessor of Heaven and earth,
23 that I will not take from all that is yours, from a thread to a shoe latchet, and that you may not say, I have made Abram rich.
24 Nothing for me; only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

*~Genesis Chapter 15 ~*

1 After these things the Word of YAHUVEH came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not fear, Abram; I am a shield to you, your reward will increase greatly.
2 And Abram said, Adonai YAHUVEH, what will You give to me? I am going childless and the son of the inheritance of my house is Eleazar of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold! You have given no seed to me; and lo, the son of my house is inheriting of me!
4 And behold! The Word of YAHUVEH came to him saying, This one shall not be your heir. But he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir.
5 And He brought him outside and said, Look now at the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him, So shall your seed be.
6 And he believed in YAHUVEH. And He counted it to him for righteousness.
7 And He said to him, I am YAHUVEH who caused you to come out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, Adonai YAHUVEH, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And He said to him, Take for Me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtledove, even a nestling.
10 And he took all these for Him, and he divided them in the middle; and he laid each piece opposite its neighbor, but he did not divide the bird.
11 And the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 And it happened, as the sun was setting, and a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, a terror of great darkness was falling on him!
13 And He said to Abram, surely you must know that your seed shall be an alien in a land not theirs; and they shall serve them. And they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14 and I also will judge the nation whom they shall serve; and afterward they shall come out with great substance.
15 And you shall come to your fathers in peace. You shall be buried in good old age.
16 And in the fourth generation they shall come here again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full until now.
17 And it happened, the sun had gone down, and it was dark. Behold! A smoking furnace and a torch of fire that passed over between those pieces!
18 In that day YAHUVEH cut a covenant with Abram, saying, I have given this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

*~Genesis Chapter 16 ~*

1 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, did not bear to him; and to her belonged a female slave, an Egyptian, and her name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said to Abram, See, now, YAHUVEH has kept me from bearing; go in now to my maid-servant; perhaps I may be built up from her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her slave-girl, Hagar, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan.
4 And he went in to Hagar and she conceived; and she saw that she had conceived, and her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said to Abram, My injury be upon you; I gave my slave-girl into your bosom, and she saw that she had conceived, and I was despised in her eyes. Let YAHUVEH judge between me and you.
6 But Abram said to Sarai, See, your slave girl is in your hand. Do to her what is good in your eyes. And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.
7 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH found her by a well of water in the wilderness; by the well in the way of Shur.
8 And He said, Hagar, Sarai’s slave-girl, where did you come from? And where do you go? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress, Sarai.
9 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH said to her, Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand.
10 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH said to her, I will exceedingly multiply your seed, so that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the Messenger of YAHUVEH said to her, Behold! You are with child and shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because YAHUVEH has listened to your affliction.
12 And he shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against all, and the hand of everyone against him; and he shall live before all his brothers.
13 And she called the name of YAHUVEH, the One speaking to her, You, a El of vision! For she said, Even here have I looked after the One seeing me?
14 On account of this, the well was called, The Well of the Living One Seeing Me. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was eighty six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

*~Genesis Chapter 17 ~*

1 And when Abram was ninety nine years old, YAHUVEH appeared to Abram and said to him, I am El Shaddai! Walk before me and be perfect;
2 and I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will increase you very greatly.
3 And Abram fell on his face. And Elohim spoke with him, saying,
4 As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.
5 And your name no longer shall be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. For I have made you a father of many nations.
6 And I will make you very fruitful, exceedingly. And I will give you for nations. And kings shall come out of you.
7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a Elohim to you and to your seed after you.
8 And I will give to you and to your seed after you the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an ever-lasting possession and I will be their Elohim.
9 And Elohim said to Abraham, You shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you in their generations.
10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin. And it shall be a token of the covenant between Me and you.
12 And a son of eight days shall be circumcised among you, every male in your generation, he that is born in the house, or bought with silver from any son of a foreigner who is not of your seed.
13 The child of your house and the purchase of your money circumcising must be circumcised. And My covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant.
14 And an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, his soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.
15 And Elohim said to Abraham, You shall not call your wife Sarai by her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name;
16 and I have blessed her and have also given to you a son from her. Yea, I have blessed her and she shall become nations; kings of people shall be from her.
17 And Abraham fell on his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, Shall one be born to a son of a hundred years? And shall Sarah bear a daughter of ninety years?
18 And Abraham said to Elohim, Oh that Ishmael might live before You!
19 And Elohim said, Your wife Sarah truly shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I have established My covenant with him for a perpetual covenant with his seed after him.
20 And as to Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 And I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set apart time next year.
22 And He finished talking with him. And Elohim ascended up from Abraham.
23 And Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all the ones born of his house, and all that were bought with his silver, every male among the men of the house of Abraham. And he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins in that same day, even as Elohim spoke to him.
24 And Abraham was a son of ninety nine years when being circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And his son Ishmael was a son of thirteen years when being circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 In the same day that Abraham was circumcised, Ishmael his son also was.
27 And all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with silver from a son of a foreigner, were circumcised with him.