a bottle of
water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child,
and sent her away; and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of
Beer-sheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child
under one of the shrubs. And she went and sat her down over against him a
good way off, as it were a bow-shot: for she said, Let me not see the
death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice
and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called
to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear
not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up
the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and
filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with
the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife
out of the land of Egypt.--Genesis xxi. 14-21.

THE TRIAL OF THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM.

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and
said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take
now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into
the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of
the mountains which I will tell thee of.

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took
two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for
the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had
told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the
place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with
the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to
you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon
Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and a knife, and they
went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and
said, My father: and he, said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the
fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And
Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place
which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the
wood