Genesis 21

Isaac Is Born

1Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had #21:1 Lit spokenpromised. 2So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham named his son who was born to him, the son whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh #21:6 Lit forwith me.” 7And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son in his old age.”

8And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

9Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac. 10Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son #21:10 Lit with IsaacIsaac!” 11The matter #21:11 Lit was very grievous in Abraham’s sightdistressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael. 12But God said to Abraham, “#21:12 Lit Do not let it be grievous in your sightDo not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac #21:12 Lit your seed will be calledyour descendants shall be named. 13And of the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your #21:13 Lit seeddescendant.” 14So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a #21:14 I.e., a skin used as a bottleskin of water, and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15When the water in the skin was used up, she #21:15 Lit castleft the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “May I not #21:16 Lit look at the death of the childsee the boy die!” And she sat opposite him, and raised her voice and wept. 17God heard the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “#21:17 Lit What to you; an idiomWhat is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by #21:18 Lit yourthe hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the #21:19 See note v 14skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Covenant with Abimelech

22Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; 23so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my descendants, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have resided.” 24Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25But Abraham #21:25 Lit rebukedcomplained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. 26And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it #21:26 Lit exceptuntil today.”

27So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28But Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” 30He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness for me, that I dug this well.” 31Therefore he called that place #21:31 I.e., well of an oathBeersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. 32So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, got up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for many days.

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Genesis 21

CHAPTER 21

1Forsooth God visited Sarah, as he promised, and [ful] filled those things, that he spake.

2And she conceived, and childed a son in her eld age, in the time wherein God before-said to her.

3And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sarah childed to him, Isaac.

4And Abraham circumcised him in the eighth day, as God commanded to him,

5when he was of an hundred years; for Isaac was born in this age of the father.

6And Sarah said, The Lord hath made laughing to me, and whoever shall hear shall laugh with me.

7And again she said, Who should hear, and believe to Abraham, that Sarah should give sucking to a son, whom she childed to him, when he is now an eld [or old] man?

8Therefore the child increased, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast in the day of his weaning.

9And when Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, playing, or doing idolatry, with Isaac her son,

10she said to Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of the handmaid shall not be heir with my son Isaac.

11Abraham took this heavily for his son;

12and God said to him, Be it not seen sharp to thee on the child, and on thine handmaid; all things which Sarah saith to thee, hear thou her voice, for in Isaac seed shall be called to thee;

13but also I shall make the son of the handmaid into a great folk, for he is thy seed.

14And so Abraham rose early, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and put it on Hagar’s shoulder, and he betook to her the child#21:14 Ishmael would be about 15 years old at this time., and let go her; and when she had gone, she went out of the way in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15And when the water in the bottle was ended, she cast away the child under a tree that was there;

16and she went away, and she sat even against, as far as a bow may cast; for she said, I shall not see the child dying; and she sat against, and raised [up] her voice, and wept.

17Forsooth the Lord heard the voice of the child, and the angel of the Lord called Hagar from heaven, and said, What doest thou, Hagar? do not thou dread, for God hath heard the voice of the child, from the place wherein he is.

18Rise thou, and take the child, and hold his hand; for I shall make him into a great folk.

19And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went, and filled the bottle, and she gave drink to the child;

20and God was with him, and he increased, and dwelled in wilderness, and he was made a young man an archer,

21and dwelled in the desert of Paran; and his mother took to him a wife of the land of Egypt.

22In the same time, Abimelech, and Phicol, prince of his host, said to Abraham, God is with thee in all things that thou doest;

23therefore swear thou by God that thou harm not me, and mine heirs, and my kindred; but by the mercy which I did to thee, do thou to me, and to the land in which thou livedest as a comeling.

24And Abraham said, I shall swear.

25And he blamed Abimelech for the well of water, which his servants took away by violence.

26And Abimelech answered, I wist not who did this thing, but also thou showedest not to me, and I heard not except today.

27And so Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave to Abimelech, and both smote together a bond of peace.

28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock asides half.

29And Abimelech said to him, What will these seven ewe lambs mean to themselves, which thou madest stand asides half?

30And he said, Thou shalt take of mine hand seven ewe lambs, that those [or they] be into witnessing to me, for I digged this well.

31Therefore that place was called Beersheba, that is, The Well of the Oath#21:31 Beersheba also means ‘the Well of the Seven’., for ever either swore there;

32and they made bond of peace for the well of an oath. Forsooth Abimelech rose, and Phicol, the prince of his chivalry, and they turned again into the land of Palestines.

33Soothly Abraham planted a wood in Beersheba, and inwardly called there the name of [the] everlasting God;

34and he was an earth-tiller, or a comeling, of the land of Palestines in many days.

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