Confrontation
(2-minute read)
In the mystical tapestry of time, where legacies stretch far beyond mortal years, Reu stands as a towering patriarch, witnessing the birth of his son Serug and many descendants. In the twilight of his 207th year post-Serug’s birth, Reu’s life concludes, marking the 78th year of his great-grandson Abram’s life. Driven by destiny and whispers of change, Abram embarks on a journey to Hebron, a nascent city where he resides for two years, setting the stage for a grand historical tapestry to unfold.
The narrative swells with tension as a devastating famine ravages Canaan, sending its inhabitants fleeing toward the uncertain refuge of Egypt. Abram, with his family and followers in tow, pauses by the brook Mitzraim, savoring a brief respite from their arduous trek. As they settle in Egypt, shadows of unforeseen trials cast a pall over their existence, culminating in the heart-wrenching separation of Abram from his beloved wife Sarai. This ominous twist propels them into a drama brimming with peril and divine intervention, as Abram’s desperate prayers summon an angelic presence to protect Sarai, smiting Pharaoh’s household and transforming their fortunes.
As dawn breaks, the bewildered Pharaoh learns the truth of Abram and Sarai’s relationship, prompting a swift return of Sarai, along with lavish gifts, as the couple is sent away from Egypt. The final act sees the humbled king offering Hagar to Sarai, recognizing the divine forces at play and seeking to avoid further calamity. With his household complete, Abram returns to the sacred land between Ai and Bethel, where he offers gratitude at the altar, sealing a triumphant return and the restoration of divine favor, leaving echoes of his blessings resonating across the land.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
GENESIS
24%
JASHER
66%
JUBILEES
10%
Exposition
J: 42 | Y: 2027 | Reu died
Genesis 11:21, Jasher 16:22
Abram leaves from Canaan to Hebron
Genesis 12:9, Jubilees 13:10a
Rising Action
The famine causes Abram to go to Egypt
Genesis 12:10, Jasher 15:1-2, Jubilees 13:10b
Y: 2032 | Abram dwelt in Egypt for 5 years
Jubilees 13:11
Climax
Abram tells everyone to say Sarai is his sister
Genesis 12:11-13, Jasher 15:3-7
Abram leaves the brook Mitzraim for Egypt and the Egyptians find Sarai hidden in a chest
Genesis 12:14, Jasher 15:8-13
Sarai taken to Pharaoh
Genesis 12:15, Jasher 15:14-21
Pharaoh gives Abram much possessions
Genesis 12:16, Jasher 15:22, Jubilees 13:14
Pharaoh’s house is plagued
Genesis 12:17, Jasher 15:23-26, Jubilees 13:13
Falling Action
Pharaoh confronts Sarai
Jasher 15:27-28
Pharaoh confronts Abram
Genesis 12:18-20, Jasher 15:29-30, Jubilees 13:15
Resolution
Pharaoh gives Sarai Hagar as a handmaid
Jasher 15:31-32
Abram returns to Hebron
Jubilees 13:15b
Jubillee: 42
Year: 2027
Reu died
Genesis 11:21
21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
Jasher 16:22
22 And in the seventy-eighth year of the life of Abram, in that year died Reu, the son of Peleg, and all the days of Reu were two hundred and thirty-nine years, and he died.
Abram leaves from Canaan to Hebron
Genesis 12:9
9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
Jubilees 13:10a
10a And he removed from thence and went towards the south, and he came to Hebron and Hebron was built at that time, and he dwelt there two years,
The famine causes Abram to go to Egypt
Genesis 12:10
10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
Jasher 15:1-2
1 And in that year there was a heavy famine throughout the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants of the land could not remain on account of the famine for it was very grievous.
2 And Abram and all belonging to him rose and went down to Egypt on account of the famine, and when they were at the brook Mitzraim they remained there some time to rest from the fatigue of the road.
Jubilees 13:10b
10b and he went (thence) into the land of the south, to Bealoth, and there was a famine in the land.
Year: 2032
Abram dwelt in Egypt for 5 years
Jubilees 13:11
11 And Abram went into Egypt in the third year of the week, and he dwelt in Egypt five years before his wife was torn away from him.
Abram tells everyone to say Sarai is his sister
Genesis 12:11-13
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
Jasher 15:3-5
3 And Abram and Sarai were walking at the border of the brook Mitzraim, and Abram beheld his wife Sarai that she was very beautiful.
4 And Abram said to his wife Sarai, Since God has created thee with such a beautiful countenance, I am afraid of the Egyptians lest they should slay me and take thee away, for the fear of God is not in these places.
5 Surely then thou shalt do this, Say thou art my sister to all that may ask thee, in order that it may be well with me, and that we may live and not be put to death.
Jasher 15:6-7
6 And Abram commanded the same to all those that came with him to Egypt on account of the famine; also his nephew Lot he commanded, saying, If the Egyptians ask thee concerning Sarai say she is the sister of Abram.
7 And yet with all these orders Abram did not put confidence in them, but he took Sarai and placed her in a chest and concealed it amongst their vessels, for Abram was greatly concerned about Sarai on account of the wickedness of the Egyptians.
Abram leaves the brook Mitzraim for Egypt and the Egyptians find Sarai hidden in a chest
Jasher 15:8-13
8 And Abram and all belonging to him rose up from the brook Mitzraim and came to Egypt; and they had scarcely entered the gates of the city when the guards stood up to them saying, Give tithe to the king from what you have, and then you may come into the town; and Abram and those that were with him did so.
9 And Abram with the people that were with him came to Egypt, and when they came they brought the chest in which Sarai was concealed and the Egyptians saw the chest.
10 And the king’s servants approached Abram, saying, What hast thou here in this chest which we have not seen? Now open thou the chest and give tithe to the king of all that it contains.
11 And Abram said, This chest I will not open, but all you demand upon it I will give. And Pharaoh’s officers answered Abram, saying, It is a chest of precious stones, give us the tenth thereof.
12 Abram said, All that you desire I will give, but you must not open the chest.
13 And the king’s officers pressed Abram, and they reached the chest and opened it with force, and they saw, and behold a beautiful woman was in the chest.
Genesis 12:14
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
Sarai taken to Pharaoh
Genesis 12:15
15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
Jasher 15:14
14 And when the officers of the king beheld Sarai they were struck with admiration at her beauty, and all the princes and servants of Pharaoh assembled to see Sarai, for she was very beautiful. And the king’s officers ran and told Pharaoh all that they had seen, and they praised Sarai to the king; and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought, and the woman came before the king.
Jasher 15:15-21
15 And Pharaoh beheld Sarai and she pleased him exceedingly, and he was struck with her beauty, and the king rejoiced greatly on her account, and made presents to those who brought him the tidings concerning her.
16 And the woman was then brought to Pharaoh’s house, and Abram grieved on account of his wife, and he prayed to the Lord to deliver her from the hands of Pharaoh.
17 And Sarai also prayed at that time and said, O Lord God thou didst tell my Lord Abram to go from his land and from his father’s house to the land of Canaan, and thou didst promise to do well with him if he would perform thy commands; now behold we have done that which thou didst command us, and we left our land and our families, and we went to a strange land and to a people whom we have not known before.
18 And we came to this land to avoid the famine, and this evil accident has befallen me; now therefore, O Lord God, deliver us and save us from the hand of this oppressor, and do well with me for the sake of thy mercy.
19 And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and the Lord sent an angel to deliver Sarai from the power of Pharaoh.
20 And the king came and sat before Sarai and behold an angel of the Lord was standing over them, and he appeared to Sarai and said to her, Do not fear, for the Lord has heard thy prayer.
21 And the king approached Sarai and said to her, What is that man to thee who brought thee hither? and she said, He is my brother.
Pharaoh gives Abram much possessions
Genesis 12:16
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
Jasher 15:22
22 And the king said, It is incumbent upon us to make him great, to elevate him and to do unto him all the good which thou shalt command us; and at that time the king sent to Abram silver and gold and precious stones in abundance, together with cattle, men servants and maid servants; and the king ordered Abram to be brought, and he sat in the court of the king’s house, and the king greatly exalted Abram on that night.
Jubilees 13:14
14 And Abram was very glorious by reason of possessions in sheep, and cattle, and asses, and horses, and camels, and menservants, and maidservants, and in silver and gold exceedingly. And Lot also his brother’s son, was wealthy.
Pharaoh’s house is plagued
Genesis 12:17
17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.
Jasher 15:23-26
23 And the king approached to speak to Sarai, and he reached out his hand to touch her, when the angel smote him heavily, and he was terrified and he refrained from reaching to her.
24 And when the king came near to Sarai, the angel smote him to the ground, and acted thus to him the whole night, and the king was terrified.
25 And the angel on that night smote heavily all the servants of the king, and his whole household, on account of Sarai, and there was a great lamentation that night amongst the people of Pharaoh’s house.
26 And Pharaoh, seeing the evil that befell him, said, Surely on account of this woman has this thing happened to me, and he removed himself at some distance from her and spoke pleasing words to her.
Jubilees 13:13
13 And it came to pass when Pharaoh seized Sarai, the wife of Abram that the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
Pharaoh confronts Sarai
Jasher 15:27-28
27 And the king said to Sarai, Tell me I pray thee concerning the man with whom thou camest here; and Sarai said, This man is my husband, and I said to thee that he was my brother for I was afraid, lest thou shouldst put him to death through wickedness.
28 And the king kept away from Sarai, and the plagues of the angel of the Lord ceased from him and his household; and Pharaoh knew that he was smitten on account of Sarai, and the king was greatly astonished at this.
Pharaoh confronts Abram
Genesis 12:18-19a
18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19a Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife:
Jasher 15:29
29 And in the morning the king called for Abram and said to him, What is this thou hast done to me? Why didst thou say, She is my sister, owing to which I took her unto me for a wife, and this heavy plague has therefore come upon me and my household.
Genesis 12:19b-20
19b now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.
Jasher 15:30
30 Now therefore here is thy wife, take her and go from our land lest we all die on her account. And Pharaoh took more cattle, men servants and maid servants, and silver and gold, to give to Abram, and he returned unto him Sarai his wife.
Jubilees 13:15a
15a And Pharaoh gave back Sarai, the wife of Abram, and he sent him out of the land of Egypt,
Pharaoh gives Sarai Hagar as a handmaid
Jasher 15:31-32
31 And the king took a maiden whom he begat by his concubines, and he gave her to Sarai for a handmaid.
32 And the king said to his daughter, It is better for thee my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than to be mistress in my house, after we have beheld the evil that befell us on account of this woman.
Abram returns to Hebron
Jubilees 13:15b
15b and he journeyed to the place where he had pitched his tent at the beginning, to the place of the altar, with Ai on the east, and Bethel on the west, and he blessed the Lord his God who had brought him back in peace.
No notes.
(12-minute read)
Exposition
J: 42 | Y: 2027 | Reu died
Genesis 11:21, Jasher 16:22
Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he had sons and daughters. In the 78th year of Abram’s life, Reu, the son of Peleg, died. Reu lived a total of 239 years.
Abram leaves from Canaan to Hebron
Genesis 12:9, Jubilees 13:10a
Abram moved on toward the south and came to Hebron. Hebron had just been built at that time, and he lived there for 2 years.
Rising Action
The famine causes Abram to go to Egypt
Genesis 12:10, Jasher 15:1-2, Jubilees 13:10b
A famine struck the land of Canaan, and the people couldn’t stay because of it. So Abram and everyone with him went down to Egypt (Bealoth) to live there for a while, because the famine was severe. When they reached the brook Mitzraim, they rested there for a while to recover from the journey.
Y: 2032 | Abram dwelt in Egypt for 5 years
Jubilees 13:11
Abram went to Egypt in the 3rd year of the week and stayed there for 4 years before his wife was taken from him.
Climax
Abram tells everyone to say Sarai is his sister
Genesis 12:11-13, Jasher 15:3-7
As they were approaching Egypt near the border of the brook Mitzraim, Abram said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman because God has made you that way. So when the Egyptians see you, they’ll say, ‘This is his wife,’ and they’ll kill me because they don’t fear God, but they’ll let you live. Say you’re my sister so that it will go well for me because of you, and I’ll be spared because of you.”
Abram gave the same instructions to everyone traveling with him into Egypt because of the famine. He even told his nephew Lot, “If the Egyptians ask about Sarai, say she is the sister of Abram.”
Even with all those precautions, Abram still wasn’t confident, so he hid Sarai in a chest and concealed it among their belongings, because he was very worried about her due to the Egyptians’ wickedness.
Abram leaves the brook Mitzraim for Egypt and the Egyptians find Sarai hidden in a chest
Genesis 12:14, Jasher 15:8-13
Abram and everyone with him left the brook Mitzraim and entered Egypt. As soon as they came through the city gates, the guards confronted them, saying, “Pay tithe to the king from what you have, and then you can enter the city.” Abram and his group complied.
When they arrived, they brought in the chest where Sarai was hidden. The Egyptians saw the chest and asked Abram, “What’s in this chest that we haven’t seen before? Open it and give the king a tithe of whatever is inside.”
Abram replied, “I won’t open the chest, but I’ll pay whatever you demand.”
Pharaoh’s officers said, “It must be a chest of precious stones. Give us a tenth of it.”
Abram answered, “Whatever you ask, I’ll give. Just don’t open the chest.”
But the officers insisted. They forced the chest open and saw that inside was a beautiful woman.
Sarai taken to Pharaoh
Genesis 12:15, Jasher 15:14-21
When the king’s officers saw Sarai, they were amazed by her beauty. All of Pharaoh’s princes and servants gathered to see her, because she was very beautiful. The king’s officers ran to tell Pharaoh about her, praising her beauty, and Pharaoh ordered her to be brought to him. Sarai came before the king.
Pharaoh was deeply impressed with Sarai. He was struck by her beauty, rejoiced over her, and rewarded the messengers who brought her. Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s house. Meanwhile, Abram was distraught over his wife and prayed to the Lord to rescue her from Pharaoh’s hands.
Sarai also prayed at that time and said, “O Lord God, you told my lord Abram to leave his land and his father’s house and go to the land of Canaan, and you promised to bless him if he obeyed. We’ve done what you commanded, leaving our homeland and families and coming to a strange land among strangers. We came here because of the famine, and now this terrible thing has happened to me. So, Lord God, please save us from this oppressor and show mercy to me.”
The Lord heard Sarai’s prayer and sent an angel to deliver her from Pharaoh. The king came and sat before Sarai, and the angel of the Lord stood over them. He appeared to Sarai and said, “Don’t be afraid. The Lord has heard your prayer.”
The king asked Sarai, “Who is the man who brought you here?” and she answered, “He is my brother.”
Pharaoh gives Abram much possessions
Genesis 12:16, Jasher 15:22, Jubilees 13:14
The king said, “We must honor this man, elevate him, and do all the good you tell us to do for him.”
Then Pharaoh sent Abram large amounts of silver, gold, and precious stones, along with cattle, sheep, horses, donkeys, camels, male and female servants. The king summoned Abram and brought him into the royal court, and that night the king honored him greatly. Lot, his nephew, also became very wealthy.
Pharaoh’s house is plagued
Genesis 12:17, Jasher 15:23-26, Jubilees 13:13
When Pharaoh approached Sarai and reached out to touch her, the angel struck him severely, and he pulled back in fear. Each time he came near her, the angel struck him again and again throughout the night. Pharaoh was terrified.
That same night, the angel struck all of Pharaoh’s servants and his entire household because of Sarai. There was great mourning in Pharaoh’s house. Pharaoh realized the disasters were because of Sarai, so he kept his distance and spoke gently to her
Falling Action
Pharaoh confronts Sarai
Jasher 15:27-28
Pharaoh asked Sarai, “Tell me about the man who brought you here.”
Sarai replied, “He is my husband. I said he was my brother because I was afraid you might kill him in wickedness.”
After that, Pharaoh stayed away from Sarai, and the angel of the Lord’s plagues ceased from him and his household. Pharaoh understood he had been struck because of Sarai, and he was deeply amazed.
Pharaoh confronts Abram
Genesis 12:18-20, Jasher 15:29-30, Jubilees 13:15
In the morning, Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What have you done to me, bringing this terrible plague on me and my household? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say she was your sister? I might have taken her as my wife! Now, here is your wife—take her and leave our land, or we’ll all die because of her.”
Pharaoh gave Abram more cattle, servants, and silver and gold, and returned Sarai to him.
Pharaoh then ordered his men to escort them out of Egypt—Abram, Sarai, and everything they had.
Resolution
Pharaoh gives Sarai Hagar as a handmaid
Jasher 15:31-32
Pharaoh gave Sarai a young woman named Hagar, a daughter he had by his concubines, to be her handmaid. He said to his daughter, “It’s better for you to be a servant in this man’s house than to be a queen in mine, after seeing what happened to us because of this woman.”
Abram returns to Hebron
Jubilees 13:15b
Abram traveled back to the place where he had first pitched his tent, to the place of the altar, with Ai to the east and Bethel to the west. There, he gave thanks to the Lord his God for bringing him back safely.
This chart shows who was alive in the years 2027-2032.