Genesis 21
21
1And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as he had spoken. 2And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God#GodHebrew: Elohim had spoken to him. 3And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God#GodHebrew: Elohim had commanded him. 5And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6And Sarah said, God#GodHebrew: Elohim has made me laugh: all that hear will laugh with me. 7And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle children? For I have borne him a son in his old age. 8And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10And she said to Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son — with Isaac. 11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12And God#GodHebrew: Elohim said to Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of thy handmaid: in all that Sarah hath said to thee hearken to her voice, for in Isaac shall a seed be called to thee. 13But also the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a flask of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder — and the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15And the water was exhausted from the flask; and she cast the child under one of the shrubs, 16and she went and sat down over against him, a bow-shot off; for she said, Let me not behold the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 17And God#GodHebrew: Elohim heard the voice of the lad. And the Angel of God#GodHebrew: Elohim called to Hagar from the heavens, and said to her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God#GodHebrew: Elohim hath heard the voice of the lad there, where he is. 18Arise, take the lad, and hold him in thy hand; for I will make of him a great nation. 19And God#GodHebrew: Elohim opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the flask with water, and gave the lad drink. 20And God#GodHebrew: Elohim was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
22And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech, and Phichol the captain of his host, spoke to Abraham, saying, God#GodHebrew: Elohim is with thee in all that thou doest. 23And now swear to me here by God#GodHebrew: Elohim that thou wilt not deal deceitfully with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson. According to the kindness that I have done to thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the land in which thou sojournest. 24And Abraham said, I will swear. 25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. 26And Abimelech said, I do not know who has done this, neither hast thou told me of it, neither have I heard of it but to-day. 27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. 28And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves. 29And Abimelech said to Abraham, What mean these seven ewe-lambs, these which thou hast set by themselves? 30And he said, That thou take the seven ewe-lambs of my hand, that they may be a witness to me that I have dug this well. 31Therefore he called that place Beer-sheba, because there they had sworn, both of them. 32And they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. And Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the captain of his host, and returned into the land of the Philistines.
33And Abraham planted a tamarisk in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Eternal ·God#GodHebrew: El 34And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Genesis 21
21
The Birth of Isaac
1Now the Lord attended to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised. 2So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.
3And Abraham gave the name Isaac #21:3 Isaac means he laughs. to the son Sarah bore to him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” 7She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
Sarah Turns against Hagar
(Galatians 4:21–30)
9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son,#21:9 LXX and Vulgate; Hebrew lacks her son 10and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”#21:10 Cited in Galatians 4:30
11Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.#21:12 Cited in Romans 9:7 and Hebrews 11:18 13But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
14Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.#21:16 Hebrew; LXX the child lifted up his voice and wept
17Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies. 18Get up, lift up the boy, and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20And God was with the boy, and he grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer. 21And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
The Covenant at Beersheba
22At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”
24And Abraham replied, “I swear it.”
25But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26Abimelech replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”
27So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29and Abimelech asked him, “Why have you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”
30He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.” 31So that place was called Beersheba,#21:31 Beersheba means well of seven or well of the oath. because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.#21:33 Hebrew El-Olam 34And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
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