Genesis 21
21
1Nowe the Lord visited Sarah, as he had saide, and did vnto her according as he had promised. 2For Sarah conceiued, and bare Abraham a sonne in his olde age, at the same season that God tolde him. 3And Abraham called his sonnes name that was borne vnto him, which Sarah bare him, Izhak. 4Then Abraham circumcised Izhak his sonne, when he was eight dayes olde, as God had commanded him. 5So Abraham was an hundreth yeere olde, when his sonne Izhak was borne vnto him. 6Then Sarah said, God hath made me to reioyce: all that heare will reioyce with me. 7Againe she said, Who would haue saide to Abraham, that Sarah shoulde haue giuen children sucke? for I haue borne him a sonne in his olde age. 8Then the childe grewe and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Izhak was weaned. 9And Sarah sawe the sonne of Hagar the Egyptian (which she had borne vnto Abraham) mocking. 10Wherefore she saide vnto Abraham, Cast out this bond woman and her sonne: for ye sonne of this bonde woman shall not be heire with my sonne Izhak. 11And this thing was very grieuous in Abrahams sight, because of his sonne. 12But God said vnto Abraham, Let it not be grieuous in thy sight for the childe, and for thy bonde woman: in all that Sarah shall say vnto thee, heare her voyce: for in Izhak shall thy seede be called. 13As for the sonne of the bond woman, I will make him a nation also, because he is thy seede. 14So Abraham arose vp early in ye morning, and tooke bread, and a bottell of water, and gaue it vnto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the childe also, and sent her away: who departing wandred in the wildernesse of Beer-sheba. 15And when the water of the bottell was spent, she cast the childe vnder a certaine tree. 16Then she went and sate her ouer against him a farre off about a bowe shoote: for she said, I will not see the death of the child. and she sate downe ouer against him, and lift vp her voyce and wept. 17Then God heard the voyce of ye childe, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heauen, and said vnto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? feare not, for God hath heard the voyce of the childe where he is. 18Arise, take vp the childe, and holde him in thine hand: for I will make of him a great people. 19And God opened her eyes, and she sawe a well of water. so she went and filled the bottell with water, and gaue the boy drinke. 20So God was with the childe, and he grewe and dwelt in the wildernesse, and was an archer. 21And he dwelt in the wildernesse of Paran, and his mother tooke him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 22And at that same time Abimelech and Phichol his chief captaine spake vnto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest. 23Nowe therefore sweare vnto me here by God, that thou wilt not hurt me, nor my children, nor my childrens children: thou shalt deale with me, and with the countrey, where thou hast bene a stranger, according vnto the kindnesse that I haue shewed thee. 24Then Abraham said, I will sweare. 25And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water, which Abimelechs seruants had violently taken away. 26And Abimelech saide, I knowe not who hath done this thing: also thou toldest me not, neither heard I of it but this day. 27Then Abraham tooke sheepe and beeues, and gaue them vnto Abimelech: and they two made a couenant. 28And Abraham set seuen lambes of the flocke by themselues. 29Then Abimelech said vnto Abraham, What meane these seuen lambes, which thou hast set by themselues? 30And he answered, Because thou shalt receiue of mine hand these seuen lambes, that it may be a witnes vnto me, that I haue digged this well. 31Wherefore the place is called Beer-sheba, because there they both sware. 32Thus made they a couenant at Beer-sheba: afterward Abimelech and Phichol his chiefe captaine rose vp, and turned againe vnto the land of the Philistims. 33And Abraham planted a groue in Beer-sheba, and called there on the Name of ye Lord, the euerlasting God. 34And Abraham was a stranger in the Philistims land a long season.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Genesis 21
21
A Baby for Sarah
1The Lord cared for Sarah as he had said. He did for her what he had promised. 2Sarah became pregnant. And she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would. 3Abraham named his son Isaac. Sarah gave birth to this son of Abraham. 4Abraham circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded.
5Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. 6And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.# The Hebrew words for “he laughed” and “Isaac” sound the same. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. 7No one thought that I would be able to have Abraham’s child. But I have given Abraham a son while he is old.”
Hagar and Ishmael
8Isaac grew and became old enough to eat food. At that time Abraham gave a great feast. 9But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. (Ishmael was the son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave.) 10So Sarah said to Abraham, “Throw out this slave woman and her son. When we die, our son Isaac will inherit everything we have. I don’t want her son to inherit any of our things.”
11This troubled Abraham very much because Ishmael was also his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be troubled about the boy and the slave woman. Do whatever Sarah tells you. The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac. 13I will also make the descendants of Ishmael into a great nation. I will do this because he is your son, too.”
14Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a leather bag full of water. He gave them to Hagar and sent her away. Hagar carried these things and her son. She went and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.
15Later, all the water was gone from the bag. So Hagar put her son under a bush. 16Then she went away a short distance and sat down. Hagar thought, “My son will die. I cannot watch this happen.” She sat there and began to cry.
17God heard the boy crying. And God’s angel called to Hagar from heaven. He said, “What is wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid! God has heard the boy crying there. 18Help the boy up. Take him by the hand. I will make his descendants into a great nation.”
19Then God showed Hagar a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her bag with water. Then she gave the boy a drink.
20God was with the boy as he grew up. Ishmael lived in the desert. He learned to shoot with a bow very well. 21He lived in the Desert of Paran. His mother found a wife for him in Egypt.
Abraham’s Bargain with Abimelech
22Then Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of Abimelech’s army. They said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23So make a promise to me here before God. Promise that you will be fair with me and my children and my descendants. Be kind to me and to this land where you have lived as a stranger. Be as kind to me as I have been to you.”
24And Abraham said, “I promise.” 25Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about Abimelech’s servants. They had captured a well of water.
26But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me about this before today.”
27Then Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle. And they made an agreement. 28Abraham also put seven female lambs in front of Abimelech.
29Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why did you put these seven female lambs by themselves?”
30Abraham answered, “Accept these lambs from me. That will prove that you believe I dug this well.”
31So that place was called Beersheba# This name means “well of the promise” or “well of seven.” because they made a promise to each other there.
32So Abraham and Abimelech made an agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines.
33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba. There Abraham prayed to the Lord, the God who lives forever. 34And Abraham lived as a stranger in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.