Genesis 21

The Birth of Isaac

1The Lord came to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.#Gn 17:16; 18:10; Gl 4:23 2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him.#Gn 17:21; 18:10,14; Heb 11:11 3Abraham named his son who was born to him — the one Sarah bore to him — Isaac.#Gn 17:19 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.#Gn 17:10,12; Ac 7:8 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.#Gn 17:1,17; Rm 4:19

6Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”#21:6 Isaac = He Laughs; Gn 17:19#Gn 18:12–15 7She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him#21:7 Sam, Tg Jonathan; MT omits him in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son mocking — the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.#Gn 16:1,15; Gl 4:29 10So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!” #Gl 4:30

11This was very distressing to#21:11 Lit was very bad in the eyes of Abraham because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed#21:12 Lit “Let it not be bad in your eyes about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac,#Rm 9:7; Heb 11:18 13and I will also make a nation of the slave’s son#Gn 16:10; 21:18; 25:12–18 because he is your offspring.”

14Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes 16and went and sat at a distance, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I can’t bear to watch the boy die!” While she sat at a distance, she#21:16 LXX reads the boy wept loudly.#Jr 6:26; Am 8:10

17God heard the boy crying, and the#21:17 Or an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What’s wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy crying from the place where he is. 18Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19Then God opened her eyes,#Nm 22:31; 2Kg 6:17–18,20; Lk 24:16,31 and she saw a well. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink. 20God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer. 21He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech

22At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army,#Gn 20:2; 26:1,26 said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.#Gn 26:28 23Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a resident alien.”

24And Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.#Gn 26:15,18,20–22

26Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t report anything to me, so I hadn’t heard about it until today.”

27Abraham took flocks and herds and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.#Gn 26:31 28Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock. 29And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs?”

30He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from me so that this act#21:30 Lit that it will serve as my witness that I dug this well.” 31Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba#21:31 = Well of the Oath, or Seven Wells#Gn 26:33 because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32After they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines.

33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.#Ps 45:6; 48:14; 90:2; 93:2; Is 40:28; Jr 10:10; Rm 16:26; Heb 13:8 34And Abraham lived as an alien in the land of the Philistines for many days.

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Genesis 21

Isaac Is Born

1The Lord was gracious to Sarah, just as he had said he would be. The Lord did for Sarah what he had promised to do. 2Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. The child was born at the exact time God had promised. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. He did it exactly as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6Sarah said, “God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would breast-feed children? But I’ve had a son by him when he is old.”

Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away

8Isaac grew. The time came for his mother to stop breast-feeding him. On that day Abraham prepared a big celebration. 9But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. Ishmael was the son Hagar had by Abraham. Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian slave. 10Sarah said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman! Get rid of her son! That woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. All of it belongs to my son Isaac.”

11What Sarah said upset Abraham very much. After all, Ishmael was his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be so upset about the boy and your slave Hagar. Listen to what Sarah tells you, because your family line will continue through Isaac. 13I will also make the son of your slave into a nation. I will do it because he is your child.”

14Early the next morning Abraham got some food and a bottle of water. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He gave the food and water to Hagar, placing them on her shoulders. Then he sent her away with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

15When the water in the bottle was gone, she put the boy under a bush. 16Then she sat down about as far away as a person can shoot an arrow. She thought, “I can’t stand to watch the boy die.” As she sat there, she began to sob.

17God heard the boy crying. Then the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven. He said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18Lift up the boy and take him by the hand. I will make him into a great nation.”

19Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the boy a drink.

20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and learned to shoot a bow and arrow. 21While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

The Agreement at Beersheba

22At that time Abimelek and his army commander, Phicol, spoke to Abraham. They said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23Now make a promise to me here while God is watching. Give me your word that you will treat me fairly. Promise that you will treat my children and their children the same way. I’ve been kind to you. Now you be kind to me and the country where you are living as an outsider.”

24Abraham said, “I give you my word that I’ll do it.”

25Then Abraham complained to Abimelek that his servants had taken over a well of water. 26But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You didn’t tell me. And today is the first time I heard about it.”

27So Abraham gave Abimelek sheep and cattle. The two men came to an agreement. 28Then Abraham picked out seven female lambs from his flock. 29Abimelek asked Abraham, “What’s the meaning of these seven female lambs? Why have you picked them out and set them apart?”

30Abraham replied, “Accept the seven lambs from me. They will be a witness that I dug this well.”

31So that place was named Beersheba. That’s because there the two men came to an agreement.

32After the agreement had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek went back to the land of the Philistines. His army commander, Phicol, went with him. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he called on the name of the Lord, the God who lives forever. 34Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®

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