< Genesis 21 >

1 Yahweh paid attention to Sarah as he had said he would, and Yahweh did for Sarah just as he had promised.
And the Lord came to Sarah as he had said and did to her as he had undertaken.
2 Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
And Sarah became with child, and gave Abraham a son when he was old, at the time named by God.
3 Abraham named his son, the one who had been born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
And Abraham gave to his son, to whom Sarah had given birth, the name Isaac.
4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, just as God had commanded him.
And when his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham made him undergo circumcision, as God had said to him.
5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Now Abraham was a hundred years old when the birth of Isaac took place.
6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; every one who hears will laugh with me.”
And Sarah said, God has given me cause for laughing, and everyone who has news of it will be laughing with me.
7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, and yet I have borne him a son in his old age!”
And she said, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would have a child at her breast? for see, I have given him a son now when he is old.
8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
And when the child was old enough to be taken from the breast, Abraham made a great feast.
9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with Isaac.
10 So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, with Isaac.”
So she said to Abraham, Send away that woman and her son: for the son of that woman is not to have a part in the heritage with my son Isaac.
11 This thing was very grievous to Abraham because of his son.
And this was a great grief to Abraham because of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be grieved because of the lad, and because of your servant woman. Listen to her words in all she says to you about this matter, because it is through Isaac that your descendants will be named.
But God said, Let it not be a grief to you because of the boy and Hagar his mother; give ear to whatever Sarah says to you, because it is from Isaac that your seed will take its name.
13 I will also make the son of the servant woman into a nation, because he is your descendant.”
And I will make a nation of the son of your servant-woman, because he is your seed.
14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the boy and sent her away. She departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
And early in the morning Abraham got up, and gave Hagar some bread and a water-skin, and put the boy on her back, and sent her away: and she went, wandering in the waste land of Beer-sheba.
15 When the water in the waterskin was gone, she abandoned the child under one of the bushes.
And when all the water in the skin was used up, she put the child down under a tree.
16 Then she went, and sat down a short distance from him, about the distance of a bowshot away, for she said, “Let me not look upon the death of the child.” As she sat there across from him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
And she went some distance away, about an arrow flight, and seating herself on the earth, she gave way to bitter weeping, saying, Let me not see the death of my child.
17 God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.
And the boy's cry came to the ears of God; and the angel of God said to Hagar from heaven, Hagar, why are you weeping? have no fear, for the child's cry has come to the ears of God.
18 Get up, raise up the lad, and encourage him; for I will make him into a great nation.”
Come, take your child in your arms, for I will make of him a great nation.
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.
Then God made her eyes open, and she saw a water-spring, and she got water in the skin and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the lad, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
And God was with the boy, and he became tall and strong, and he became a bowman, living in the waste land.
21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
And while he was in the waste land of Paran, his mother got him a wife from the land of Egypt.
22 It came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.
Now at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, said to Abraham, I see that God is with you in all you do.
23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my offspring, nor with my descendants. Show to me and to the land in which you have been staying the same covenant faithfulness that I have shown to you.”
Now, then, give me your oath, in the name of God, that you will not be false to me or to my sons after me, but that as I have been good to you, so you will be to me and to this land where you have been living.
24 Abraham said, “I swear.”
And Abraham said, I will give you my oath.
25 Abraham also complained to Abimelech concerning a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized from him.
But Abraham made a protest to Abimelech because of a water-hole which Abimelech's servants had taken by force.
26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing. You did not tell me before now; I have not heard of it until today.”
But Abimelech said, I have no idea who has done this thing; you never gave me word of it, and I had no knowledge of it till this day.
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made an agreement together.
28 Then Abraham set seven female lambs of the flock by themselves.
And Abraham put seven young lambs of the flock on one side by themselves.
29 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven female lambs that you have set by themselves?”
Then Abimelech said, What are these seven lambs which you have put on one side?
30 He replied, “These seven female lambs you will receive from my hand, so that it may be a witness for me, that I dug this well.”
And he said, Take these seven lambs from me as a witness that I have made this water-hole.
31 So he called that place Beersheba, because there they both swore an oath.
So he gave that place the name Beer-sheba, because there the two of them had given their oaths.
32 They made a covenant at Beersheba, and then Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.
So they made an agreement at Beer-sheba, and Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines.
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he worshiped Yahweh, the eternal God.
And Abraham, after planting a holy tree in Beer-sheba, gave worship to the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.
34 Abraham remained as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.
And Abraham went on living in the land of the Philistines as in a strange country.

< Genesis 21 >