Genesis 16
16
1Now Sarai (My Princess) Avram’s (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) wife bore him no children: and she had an female servant, [from] Mitzrayim (People of the Black Land), whose name was Hagar (Flight).
2And Sarai (My Princess) said unto Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation), Behold now, the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) has restrained me from bearing: I pray youi, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) listened to the voice of Sarai (My Princess).
3And Sarai (My Princess) Avram’s (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) wife took Hagar (Flight) her maid the Mitzrayimi (People of the Black Land), after Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) had dwelt ten years in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues), and gave her to her husband Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) to be his wife.
4And he went in unto Hagar (Flight), and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5And Sarai (My Princess) said unto Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation), My wrong [be] upon youi: I have given my maid into youri bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) judge between me and youi.
6But Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) said unto Sarai (My Princess), Behold, youri maid [is] in youri hand; do to her as it pleases youi. And when Sarai (My Princess) dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
7And the angel of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur [wall] (wall).
8And he said, Hagar (Flight), Sarai’s (My Princess) maid, from what place came youi? and to where will youi go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai (My Princess).
9And the angel of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said unto her, Return to youri mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10And the angel of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said unto her, I will multiply youri seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11And the angel of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said unto her, Behold, youi [are] with child, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Yishma’el (He Will Hear God; God hears [EL]); because the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) has heard youri affliction.
12And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13And she called the name of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) that spoke unto her, Youi God-EL Ro’I [The Powerful Living Word Sees Me]: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that sees me?
14For what reason the well was called Be’er-Lachai-Ro’i (well of the living One seeing me); behold, [it is] between Kadesh (to be consecrated, consecrated, sanctified) and Bered (hail, grizzled).
15And Hagar (Flight) bore Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) a son: and Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) called his son’s name, which Hagar (Flight) bore, Yishma’el (He Will Hear God; God hears [EL]).
16And Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) [was] eighty and six years old, when Hagar (Flight) bore Yishma’el (He Will Hear God; God hears [EL]) to Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation).
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Genesis 16
16
Abram, Hagar, and Ishmael
1Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, 2and Sarai said to Abram, “The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine.”#16.2 Sleep…mine: It was the custom for a wife who could not have children to let her husband sleep with one of her slave women. The children of the slave would belong to the wife. Abram agreed, 3and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. 4Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and was hateful to Sarai.
5Then Sarai said to Abram, “It's all your fault!#16.5 It's…fault: Or “I hope you'll be punished for what you did to me!” I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the LORD for this.”
6Abram said, “All right! She's your slave, and you can do whatever you want with her.” But Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
7Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the LORD came to her 8and asked, “Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
She answered, “I'm running away from Sarai, my owner.”
9The angel said, “Go back to Sarai and be her slave. 10-11I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael,#16.10,11 Ishmael: In Hebrew “Ishmael” sounds like “God hears”. because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. 12But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him.”
13Hagar thought, “Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?”#16.13 Have…it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. So from then on she called him, “The God who Sees Me”.#16.13 The God who Sees Me: Or “The God I have Seen”. 14That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, “The Well of the Living One who Sees Me”.#16.14 The Well…Me: Or “Beer-Lahai-Roi” (see 25.11).
15-16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael.#Ga 4.22.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012