If the God of my father the God of Abraham, the God whom Isaac feared had not been with me, you would have sent me away empty handed. But God saw my misery and how hard I've worked with my own hands and he rebuked you last night."

"I thought that there's no fear of God in this place," Abraham replied, "and that they would kill me because of my wife.

"Don't lay your hand on the youth!" he said. "Don't do anything to him, because I've just demonstrated that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me."

As they set out on their journey, because the people who lived in the cities around them feared God, they did not pursue Jacob's sons.

Three days later, Joseph told them, "I fear God, so do this and you'll live.