Genesis 16

Hagar and Ishmael

1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2so she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.’

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’

6‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai ill-treated Hagar; so she fled from her.

7The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’

‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered.

9Then the angel of the Lord told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ 10The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’

11The angel of the Lord also said to her:

‘You are now pregnant

and you will give birth to a son.

You shall name him Ishmael,#16:11 Ishmael means God hears.

for the Lord has heard of your misery.

12He will be a wild donkey of a man;

his hand will be against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he will live in hostility

towards#16:12 Or live to the east / of all his brothers.’

13She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen#16:13 Or seen the back of the One who sees me.’ 14That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi#16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

15So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 16

1And Sarai, Aḇram’s wife, had borne him no child. And she had a Mitsrian female servant whose name was Haḡar.

2And Sarai said to Aḇram, “See, יהוה has kept me from bearing children. Please, go in to my female servant. It might be that I am built up by her.” And Aḇram listened to the voice of Sarai.

3And Sarai, Aḇram’s wife, took Haḡar her female servant, the Mitsrian, and gave her to her husband Aḇram to be his wife, after Aḇram had dwelt ten years in the land of Kena‛an.

4And he went in to Haḡar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5And Sarai said to Aḇram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my female servant into your bosom. And when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Let יהוה judge between you and me.”

6And Aḇram said to Sarai, “See, your female servant is in your hand, do to her what is good in your eyes.” And Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

7And the Messenger of יהוה found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur,

8and He said, “Haḡar, Sarai’s female servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai, my mistress.”

9And the Messenger of יהוה said to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”

10And the Messenger of יהוה said to her, “I am going to increase your seed greatly, too numerous to be counted.”

11And the Messenger of יהוה said to her, “See, you are conceiving and bearing a son, and shall call his name Yishma‛ĕl, because יהוה has heard your affliction.

12“And he is to be a wild man, his hand against every one and every one’s hand against him, and dwell over against all his brothers.”

13And she called the Name of יהוה who spoke to her, “You are the Ěl who sees,” for she said, “Even here have I seen after Him who sees me?”

14That is why the well was called Be’ĕr Laḥai Ro’i, see, it is between Qaḏĕsh and Bereḏ.

15And Haḡar bore Aḇram a son, and Aḇram called the name of his son, whom Haḡar bore, Yishma‛ĕl.

16And Aḇram was eighty-six years old when Haḡar bore Yishma‛ĕl to Aḇram.

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