1The Lord came to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.#Gn 17:16; 18:10; Gl 4:23 2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him.#Gn 17:21; 18:10,14; Heb 11:11 3Abraham named his son who was born to him — the one Sarah bore to him — Isaac.#Gn 17:19 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.#Gn 17:10,12; Ac 7:8 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.#Gn 17:1,17; Rm 4:19

6Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”#21:6 Isaac = He Laughs; Gn 17:19#Gn 18:12–15 7She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him#21:7 Sam, Tg Jonathan; MT omits him in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son mocking — the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.#Gn 16:1,15; Gl 4:29 10So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!” #Gl 4:30

11This was very distressing to#21:11 Lit was very bad in the eyes of Abraham because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed#21:12 Lit “Let it not be bad in your eyes about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac,#Rm 9:7; Heb 11:18 13and I will also make a nation of the slave’s son#Gn 16:10; 21:18; 25:12–18 because he is your offspring.”

14Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes 16and went and sat at a distance, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I can’t bear to watch the boy die!” While she sat at a distance, she#21:16 LXX reads the boy wept loudly.#Jr 6:26; Am 8:10

17God heard the boy crying, and the#21:17 Or an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What’s wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy crying from the place where he is. 18Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19Then God opened her eyes,#Nm 22:31; 2Kg 6:17–18,20; Lk 24:16,31 and she saw a well. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink. 20God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer. 21He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech

22At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army,#Gn 20:2; 26:1,26 said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.#Gn 26:28 23Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a resident alien.”

24And Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.#Gn 26:15,18,20–22

26Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t report anything to me, so I hadn’t heard about it until today.”

27Abraham took flocks and herds and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.#Gn 26:31 28Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock. 29And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs?”

30He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from me so that this act#21:30 Lit that it will serve as my witness that I dug this well.” 31Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba#21:31 = Well of the Oath, or Seven Wells#Gn 26:33 because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32After they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines.

33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.#Ps 45:6; 48:14; 90:2; 93:2; Is 40:28; Jr 10:10; Rm 16:26; Heb 13:8 34And Abraham lived as an alien in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Learn More

Genesis 21

1And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) visited Sarah [Princess] as he had said, and the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) did unto Sarah [Princess] as he had spoken.

2For Sarah [Princess] conceived, and bore Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] a son in his old age, at the set time of which God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] had spoken to him.

3And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah [Princess] bore to him, Yitz’chak [Laughter].

4And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] circumcised his son Yitz’chak [Laughter] being eight days old, as God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] had commanded him.

5And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] was an hundred years old, when his son Yitz’chak [Laughter] was born unto him.

6And Sarah [Princess] said, God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] has made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear will laugh with me.

7And she said, Who would have said unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], that Sarah [Princess] should have given children suck? for I have born [him] a son in his old age.

8And the child grew, and was weaned: and Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] made a great feast the [same] day that Yitz’chak [Laughter] was weaned.

9And Sarah [Princess] saw the son of Hagar (Flight) the Mitzrayimot (People of the Black Land), which she had born unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], mocking.

10For what reason she said unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, [even] with Yitz’chak [Laughter].

11And the thing was very grievous in Avraham’s [exalted father/Fly They Will] sight because of his son.

12And God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] said unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], Let it not be grievous in youri sight because of the boy, and because of youri bondwoman; in all that Sarah [Princess] has said unto youi, hearken unto her voice; for in Yitz’chak [Laughter] shall youri seed be called.

13And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he [is] youri seed.

14And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave [it] unto Hagar, putting [it] on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Be’er-Sheva (well of the sevenfold oath).

15And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16And she went, and sat her down over against [him] a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against [him], and lifted up her voice, and wept.

17And God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] called to Hagar (Flight) out of heaven, and said unto her, What ails youi, Hagar (Flight)? fear not; for God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] has heard the voice of the boy where he [is].

18Arise, lift up the boy, and hold him in youri hand; for I will make him a great nation.

19And God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink.

20And God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] was with the boy; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pa’ran [place of caverns] (place of caves): and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Mitzrayim [Egypt].

22And it came to pass at that time, that Avi-melekh (my father is king) and Pikhol (mouth of all) the chief captain of his host spoke unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], saying, God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered]is with youi in all that youi do.

23Now therefore swear unto me here by God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] that youi will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: [but] according to the kindness that I have done unto youi, youi shall do unto me, and to the land wherein youi have detained (held).

24And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] said, I will swear.

25And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] reproved Avi-melekh (my father is king) because of a well of water, which Avi-melekh’s (my father is king) servants had violently taken away.

26And Avi-melekh (my father is king) said, I do not know who has done this thing: neither did youi tell me, neither yet heard I [of it], but to day.

27And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Avi-melekh (my father is king); and both of them made a covenant.

28And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29And Avi-melekh (my father is king) said unto Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will], What [mean] these seven ewe lambs which youi hast set by themselves?

30And he said, For [these] seven ewe lambs shall youi take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.

31For what reason he called that place Be’er-Sheva (well of the sevenfold oath); because there they swore both of them.

32In the following manner they made a covenant at Be’er-Sheva (well of the sevenfold oath): then Avi-melekh (my father is king) rose up, and Pikhol (mouth of all) the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the P’lishtim (wanderers).

33And [Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will]] planted a grove in Be’er-Sheva (well of the sevenfold oath), and called there on the name of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate), the everlasting God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered].

34And Avraham [exalted father/Fly They Will] detained (held) in the P’lishtim’ (wanderers) land many days.

For more information about the NMV, details about why the names of God are notated and translated as they are, or to learn about the special markings and translations used in this text, click below.

Follow the instructions and you will receive the free e-book by email.

Learn More

Choose your language

CSB

Genesis 21

Genesis 21