Midrasch zu Bereschit 12:19

(Fol 60) R. Samuel b. Nachmeni said in the name of R. Jonathan: "No chastisement comes upon the world unless there are wicked ones in existence, yet its first victims are the righteous, as it is said (Ib., ib) If a fire breaks out and meet with thorns. When does a fire break out? When there are thorns prepared for it. Its first victims, however, are the upright, as it is said (Ib, ib.) So that stocks of corn had been consumed. It does not say, it shall consume, but, had been consumed, to signify that the stack of corn (the upright) were consumed first." R. Joseph taught: "What is the meaning of the passage, (Ex. 12, 22) And none of you shall go out from the door of his house until the morning? As soon as permission is given to the executioner he makes no distinction between righteous and wicked; and furthermore, he picks out his first victims from among the righteous, as it is said (Ezek. 21, 8) And I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked." R. Joseph cried, remarking: "To that extent are they not considered?" Said Abaye: "It is to their advantage, as it is written (Isa. 57, 1) That the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." (That he shall not see the evil which will come in the future). Our Rabbis were taught: When pestilence is raging in town, stay indoors, as it is said (Ex. 12, 22) And none of you shall go out from the door of his house until the morning, and it is also said (Isa. 26, 20) Go, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy door behind thee; and again it is said (Deut. 32, 25) Without shall the sword destroy, and terror within the chambers. Why the citation of the two additional passages? Lest one say that the first one refers only to nighttime but not to day time, hence, Go my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy door behind thee. And lest one will say that this refers only where there is no terror within the house, but when there is terror within the house, one might think that it is advisable to go out and associate with others, hence the last quoted verse, Without shall the sword destroy and terror within the chamber, i.e., although within the house terror reigns, yet without it is still worse, for Without the sword shall destroy. Raba in times of fury used to keep the windows shut, for it is written (Jer. 9, 20) For death is come up through our windows. Our Rabbis were taught: If there is a famine in town, do not spare your feet and leave town, as it is said (Gen. 12, 19) And there arose a famine in the land: and Abraham went down into Egypt to sojourn there. And it is also said (II Kings, 7, 4) If we say, we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city; and we shall die there. For what purpose is the quotation of the additional passage necessary? Lest one say that this refers only where there is no risk of life, but where there is risk of life, it is not so, hence the quotation, which is followed by (Ib., ib.) Now therefore come, and let us fall into the host of the Arameans; if they let us live, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. Our Rabbis were taught: When there is a pestilence in town, a person shall not walk in the middle of the road; for so long as the Angel of Death has received his permission to rage, he does so high-handed. When there is peace in town, one must not walk on the sideways; for so long as the Angel has not the permission, he hides himself away.

Rabbi Joshua ben Ḳorchah said: Because of his love for her, (Pharaoh) wrote in her marriage document (giving her) all his wealth, whether in silver, or in gold, or in man-servants, or land, and he wrote (giving) her the land of Goshen for a possession. Therefore the children of Israel dwelt in the land of Goshen, in the land of their mother Sarah. He (also) wrote (giving) her Hagar, his daughter from a concubine, as her handmaid. And whence do we know that Hagar was the daughter of Pharaoh? Because it is said, "Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children; and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar" (Gen. 16:1). Pharaoh rose up early in the morning confused because he had not approached her, and he sent and called Abraham, and said to him: Behold, Sarai thy wife is before thee, and all the deeds of her marriage contract are with her, take (her) and go, do not tarry in this land, as it is said, "Now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go" (Gen. 12:19). "And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him, and they sent him forth" (Gen. 12:20). And he had Abraham led so as to come to the land of Canaan. He sojourned in the land of the Philistines in order to be refreshed there. And he went away. And everything is foreseen by the Holy One, blessed be He, and Abimelech sent and took Sarah, thinking to raise up children from her, as it is said, "And Abimelech… sent, and took Sarah" (Gen. 20:2).