Three Visitors
As Avraham sits at the entrance of his tent recovering from his circumcision, God appears to him, and three travelers come into view in the heat of the day. Avraham runs to greet them, bows, and hurries to prepare water, bread, and a tender calf, offering hospitality even in his own discomfort. As the guests eat, they ask about Sarah and promise that she will have a son by this time next year. Sarah, listening at the tent, laughs to herself at the thought of bearing a child in old age, and God gently asks whether anything is too wondrous for Him to do.
Pleading for Sodom
As the visitors set out toward Sodom, God chooses to reveal to Avraham that the city and its neighbor Amora (Gomorrah) are about to be destroyed for their great wickedness. Avraham steps forward and pleads on their behalf, asking whether the Judge of all the earth would sweep away the righteous along with the guilty. He bargains with God, starting at fifty righteous people and descending step by step, until God agrees that for the sake of even ten innocent souls the city would be spared. Avraham's boldness reveals a deep concern for justice and mercy, even toward strangers who have done him no good.
The Fall of Sodom
Two angels arrive in Sodom, where Lot welcomes them into his home and shields them from a violent mob that surrounds the house. The angels strike the crowd with blindness and urge Lot to gather his family and flee, for the city is about to be overturned. At dawn they lead Lot, his wife, and his two daughters out, warning them not to look back, and then God rains fire and sulfur upon Sodom and Amora. Lot's wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt, while Lot and his daughters escape to the hills. Believing the world has ended, his daughters later bear sons who become the ancestors of Moav (Moab) and Ammon.
Sarah in Gerar
Avraham journeys to the region of Gerar, and once again, fearing for his safety, he says that Sarah is his sister. Avimelech (Abimelech), the king, has Sarah brought to him, but God comes to him in a dream by night and warns him that she is a married woman. Avimelech, who has not touched her, protests his innocence, and God tells him to return Sarah to Avraham, who is a prophet and will pray for him. The king restores Sarah with generous gifts, Avraham prays, and God heals Avimelech's household, which had been unable to bear children.
The Birth of Yitzchak
God remembers Sarah just as He promised, and she bears a son to Avraham in his old age, and they name him Yitzchak. Sarah declares that God has brought her laughter, and the boy is circumcised at eight days old and later celebrated with a great feast. When Sarah sees Yishmael (Ishmael), the son of Hagar, mocking, she asks Avraham to send the boy and his mother away, and God tells him to listen to her while promising that Yishmael too will become a nation. Hagar and her son wander in the wilderness until their water runs out, and an angel shows her a well and assures her of her son's future. Avraham also makes a covenant of peace with Avimelech at Be'er Sheva, marking a well with an oath.
The Binding of Yitzchak
God tests Avraham, telling him to take his beloved son Yitzchak and offer him upon a mountain in the land of Moriah. Avraham rises early, travels three days with his son and two servants, and climbs the mountain carrying the wood and the fire, telling Yitzchak that God will provide the lamb. He builds an altar, binds his son upon it, and raises the knife, when an angel of God calls out and stops him, for his devotion has been proven. Avraham lifts his eyes and sees a ram caught in a thicket, which he offers in place of his son, and God blesses him with descendants as numerous as the stars and the sand. The parsha ends with news reaching Avraham that his brother Nachor has had children, among them a granddaughter named Rivkah (Rebecca).