Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, God appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God. 

Genesis 17:2 Walk before me and be you perfect.(original for this sentence is 'continue to live with me in mind {keep God first in your heart} and you'll stay in and grow in my wholeness').

But like us, he wasn't perfect and it was ok, because he was on that spiritual road of perfection taking one through circumstances to bring out more of the charcter of love God is:.1John 4:6-8.

Genesis 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and you and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Genesis 17:3 And Abram.(name means 'exalted father').fell on his face and God talked with him, saying,

Genesis 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant.(agreement).is with you and you shall be a father of many nations.

Genesis 17:5 Neither shall your name any more be called Abram.(name means 'exalted father'), but your name shall be Abraham.(name means 'father of a multitude'), for a father of many nations have I made you.

Genesis 17:6 And I will make you exceeding fruitful and I will make nations of you and kings shall come out of you.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant.(how long does the word 'everlasting' mean here?), to be a God unto you and to your seed after you. 

Genesis 17:8 And I will give unto you and to your seed after you the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God. 

Genesis 17:9 And God said unto Abraham, You shall keep my covenant therefor, you and your seed after you in their generations.

Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your seed after you; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:11-14 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.(a covenant is an agreement). And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.

Genesis 17:15 And God said unto Abraham.(name means 'father of a multitude'), As for Sarai.(name means 'princess').your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah.(name means 'noblewoman').shall her name be.

Genesis 17:16,17 And I will bless her and give you a son also of her. Yea, I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Genesis 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before you!

Genesis 17:19 And God said, Sarah.(God said that Abraham and Sarah would have a child:.Genesis 18:9-14).your wife shall bear you a son indeed and you shall call his name Isaac.(Malachi 3:6). And I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him.

Genesis 17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. Twelve princes shall he beget and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you next year..(continues at 18:9-14)

Genesis 17:22 And he left off talking with him and God went up from Abraham.

Genesis 17:23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all that were born in his house and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

Circumcision was then a sign that they were under this covenant (Exodus 2:24) God made with them, a covenant (agreement) of promise of blessings and of them becoming many nations spread throughout the Earth:.Romans 4:11-13.

Genesis 18:1-8 And God appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked and lo, three men stood by him and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, if now I have found favorr in your sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from your servant. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will fetch a morsel of bread and comfort your hearts and after that you'll be on your way, for therefore are you come to your servant.(for surely this is why you came to my place). And they said, So do, as you have said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd and took one of the calves that would be tender and good and gave it unto a young man.(someone who worked for Abraham).and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed and set it before them and he stood by them under the tree and they did eat.

Genesis 18:9,10 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah your wife.(original is 'woman' *)? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto you according to the time of life and lo, Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Genesis 18:11-13 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And God.(actually an angel sent from God).said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for God?.(where did Sarah get the strength to conceive and deliver a child at her advanced age?.Hebrews 11:11). At the time appointed.(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).I will return unto you, according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a son.

Genesis 18:9-14 story line here continues from Genesis 17:15-21.

Genesis 18:15,16 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not, for she was afraid. And he said, Nay, but you did laugh. And the men.(they were good angels).rose up from thence and looked toward Sodom and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

Abraham accompanied them as a courtesy as angels would know where they were going. 

Genesis 18:17 And God said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do,

Genesis 18:18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation.(Genesis 12:1-7).and all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him.(but when? it's happening now!)?

Galatians 3:8.

Genesis 18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children.(about children).and his household after him and they shall keep the way of God to do justice and judgment.(what's right or wrong produces positive or negative results and, about making decisions based on that:.Matthew 22:37-40), that God may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him.

Notice Abraham took care to instruct his children and his household members (servants, workers, etc.) in ways of higher consciousness, ways of dealing helpfully, honestly and fairly with others in life. But, many descendants of Abraham were not like that with their children:.Hosea 5:7.

Genesis 18:20 And God said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous.(original for 'very grievous' is 'heavily entrenched':.1Timothy 4:2).

Genesis 18:21 indeed I know what they are doing.(God knows the existential.frequencies of each of us).and trying to accomplish and also there are those whose hearts are not that way.

Verse 21 above is reconstructed above from the confusing original 'I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me and if not, I will know'.

Genesis 18:22 And.(two of).the men turned their faces from thence and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood there with the other man.

Genesis 18:22 And the men.(looked like men, but were angels instructed by the Creator, to go and verify if things were still as bad as they were; see verses 20,21 just above).turned their faces from thence.(there).and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood there withe the other man.(two had walked on and the other remained with Abraham:.Genesis 18:1-8).

Genesis 18:23 And Abraham drew near and said, Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Genesis 18:24.Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city; will you also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 

Genesis 18:25 That be far from you to do after this manner in slaying the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from your thinking. Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right?

Hebrews 12:23.

Genesis 18:26-33 And God said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto God, which I am but dust and ashes.(in comparison). Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous. Will you destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. And he spake unto him yet again and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry and I will speak. Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it if I find thirty there. And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto God. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. And he said, Oh let yourself not be angry and I will speak yet but this once. Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. And God went his way as soon as he had left communing with Abraham. And Abraham returned unto his place.

Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. And Lot seeing them rose up to meet them and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Genesis 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house and tarry all night and wash your feet and you shall rise up early and go on your ways. And they said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night.

Genesis 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly and they turned in unto him and entered into his house and he made them a feast and did bake unleavened bread and they did eat.

Genesis 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter.

Genesis 19:5 And they called unto Lot and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to you this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

And this again happened much later in Old Testament history:.Judges 19:22-27.

Genesis 19:6,7 And Lot went out at the door unto them and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Genesis 19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man. Let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you and do you to them as is good in your eyes. Only unto these men do nothing, for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.

Genesis 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn and he will needs be a judge. Now will we deal worse with you, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot and came near to break the door.

Genesis 19:10 But the men.(looked like men but were angels; angels can appear in many forms).put forth their hand and pulled Lot into the house to them and shut the door.

Genesis 19:11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.

Genesis 19:12 And the men.(angels who looked like regular men).said unto Lot, Have you here any besides son in law and sons and daughters? Whatsoever you have in the city, bring them out of this place. 

Genesis 19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of God and God has sent us to destroy it.

Genesis 19:14 And Lot went out and spoke unto his sons in law, which married.(original is not 'married' but simply 'take', that is, they took women {no doubt in agreement with all concerned} because they liked them and no doubt, feelings of Lot's daughters were the same).his daughters and said, Up, get you out of this place, for God will destroy this city. But, to his sons in law he seemed as one that mocked.(they didn't believe him).

Genesis 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take your wife and your two daughters which are here, lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.

Genesis 19:16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand and upon the hand of his wife.(original is simply 'woman', *).and upon the hand of his two daughters, God being merciful unto him and they brought him forth and set him without the city.

Genesis 19:17 And it came to pass, when they.(verses 11 and 15 just above).had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for your life. Look not behind you, neither stay you in all the plain. Escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.

Genesis 19:18-23 And Lot said unto them, Oh, I cannot go there. Behold now, your servant has found grace in your sight and you have magnified your mercy which you have showed unto me in saving my life, but I cannot escape to the mountain lest some evil take me and I die. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape to it and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which you have spoken. Haste you, escape thither. For I cannot do any thing till you be come thither.(until you go there). Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the Earth when Lot entered into Zoar.

Genesis 19:24 Then God.(*).rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire out of heaven..(why? verses 18-23 just above)

Genesis 19:25 And God overthrew those cities and all the plain and all the inhabitants of the cities and that which grew upon the ground.

Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt.

East of Usdum, Americans found a pillar of salt 40 feet high which may be the traditional one identified with Lot's woman. Josephus, Antiquities 1:11, talks about this. Why did she become a pillar of salt, see verse 17 above; see.Luke 17:32.

Genesis 19:27-29 And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord. And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the plain and beheld and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

Genesis 19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar.(once he saw what was going to happen to Sodom and Gomorrah, he felt that he had better get out of this city to which he had just arrived).and dwelt in the mountain and his two daughters with him, for he feared to dwell in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

Genesis 19:31-36 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old and there is not a man in the Earth.(anywhere close to where they were).to come in unto us after the manner of all the Earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.(he must have drank much). And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also and go you in and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him. And he perceived not when she lay down nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

Genesis 19:37 And the firstborn bare a son and called his name Moab, the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

Genesis 19:38 And the younger, she also bare a son and called his name Benammi. The same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.(the Ammonites).
 

....continues to Chapters 20-26

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