Holman Christian Standard Bible

Genesis 21:21-31 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

21. He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

22. At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

23. Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a foreign resident.”

24. And Abraham said, “I swear it.”

25. But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the water well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.

26. Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t report anything to me, so I hadn’t heard about it until today.”

27. Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

28. Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock.

29. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs? ”

30. He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand so that this act will serve as my witness that I dug this well.”

31. Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.