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Abraham and Abimelech Make a Covenant

22 At that time Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, ‘God is with you in all that you do; ²³now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but as I have dealt loyally with you, you will deal with me and with the land where you have resided as an alien.’ ²⁴And Abraham said, ‘I swear it.’

25 When Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, ²⁶Abimelech said, ‘I do not know who has done this; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.’ ²⁷So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. ²⁸Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock. ²⁹And Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?’ ³⁰He said, ‘These seven ewe lambs you shall accept from my hand, in order that you may be a witness for me that I dug this well.’ ³¹Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba;^* because there both of them swore an oath. ³²When they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³Abraham^* planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.^{* 34}And Abraham resided as an alien for many days in the land of the Philistines.