1. Genesis 10-20 Abraham

Gen 10 Tower of Babel

Nimrod: a mighty hunter. Everyone had the same language. 

As they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar. Built a great tower "whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."

But the Lord made divisions between the people, and they broke into different tribes and separated, not agreeing with each others' words. So the plan failed.

Gen 11-12: Abraham

Abraham lived on Ur of the Chaldees.

His wife Sarai could not have children.

The Lord told him to leave and live on Canaan. Promised to make him powerful.

There was a famine, so he went to Egypt instead. Told his wife to pretend to be his sister, because she was beautiful and Pharaoh might kill Abraham to have her.

Pharaoh became very close to Abraham because he liked Sarai. Loos like Abraham brought a disease with him from the east, and unlike Abraham the Egyptians were not immune. Gave Abraham money to leave.

Gen 13-16: the war of kings

Abraham had so many animals that had to split into two groups: Abraham and Lot. Nomadic, taking their herds over Canaan.

The Lord said he would give the whole land to Abraham. Abraham became "confederate with" some local kings. A war developed with other kings. "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."

Lot (Abraham's brother) was taken captive. Abraham defeated the captors and took all their stuff.

Melchizedek king of Salem sided with Abraham.

The lord told Abraham he would rule the whole region and have as many descendants as the stars in heaven.

Abraham wanted proof. So the Lord told him to sacrifice some animals. Then Abraham had a dream that his descendants would be prisoners in Egypt but would the come back and conquer all of Canaan.

Gen 17: Ishmael

Sarai had no children, so gave Abraham Hagar, her servant. Hagar conceived. Sarai hated her, and she ran away. Then Hagar she met a messenger of the landlord, who asked what happened. And told her to go back.

She bore a son, Ishmael.

The Lord made Abraham circumcise everyone as proof of their loyalty.

Gen 18-19: Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed for rebelling

Back in the wars of the kings, Sodom and Gomorrah had been among the rebels against Chedorlaomer - i.e. against Abraham's side. The landlord's people (three messengers) met with Abraham to plan its destruction. Abraham thought they were going too far: would they save the cities if he could find some supporters? They said they would save the city if Abraham he could find ten "good" men.

The men heard that Lot, Abraham's brother, had visitors from the landlord. They demanded to see the men. Lot offered to send his daughters out instead. "Do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing"

The lord's men managed to hide the door, OR blind the men?  "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."

They told Lot to escape and not look back. "But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire" (presumably burning pitch: pitch was common around the city).

"the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace".

Lot's daughters were concerned that they had no children, so got their father drunk and committed incest. This insulting story was used to explain where the Moabites and Ammonites came from.

Gen 20

While they were visiting Abimelech, Sarah allegedly had a son to Abraham. Called him Isaac.

At this point I grew bored. Time for another book!