Genesis 21
21
Chapter 21
Abraham's sons
1The Lord was kind to Sarah. He did what he had promised to do for her. 2Sarah became pregnant. She gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was very old. This happened at the time when God had said that it would. #21:2 See Genesis 18:10.
3Abraham called his son ‘Isaac’. This is the son that Sarah gave birth to. 4When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. That is what God had told him to do. #21:4 See Genesis 17:9-14; Genesis 17:23-27.
5Abraham was 100 years old when his son, Isaac, was born. 6Sarah said, ‘Now God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about what has happened will be happy with me.’ 7She also said, ‘Abraham would never have thought that I would feed a child at my breasts. But I have given birth to a son for him, even when he is old.’
8The child grew stronger, and he began to eat food. On that day, Abraham prepared a big party meal.
9Then Sarah saw that Ishmael was laughing at Isaac. (Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian servant.) 10So Sarah said to Abraham, ‘Send that slave woman and her son away from here. Ishmael must never receive any of our family's things. Everything must belong to my own son, Isaac.’
11This made Abraham very sad, because Ishmael was his own son.
12God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be upset about Ishmael or about Hagar. Do whatever Sarah tells you. Your family's descendants will come through Isaac, not Ishmael. 13But, because Ishmael is also your son, I will make his descendants become a great nation of people too.’
14Abraham woke up early the next morning. He took some food and some water in a bottle that was made from animal skin. He gave them to Hagar and he put them on her shoulders. Then he sent Hagar away, with their son, Ishmael.
She went and she travelled round the wilderness of Beersheba. #21:14 The wilderness of Beersheba is dry and hot. There is not much water there. 15After they had drunk all the water, Hagar put her son in the shade under a bush. 16She herself went and sat down about 100 metres away from him. She thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ As she sat there, she began to cry.
17Ishmael was crying and God heard him. The angel of God spoke to Hagar from heaven. He said, ‘What is the trouble, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy while he is crying there. 18Go over to him and lift him up. Take hold of his hand and help him to stand. I will make him become a great nation of people.’ #21:18 God had already told this to Hagar, when she ran away from Sarah. See Genesis 16:10.
19Then God helped Hagar to see clearly. She saw a well with water in it. She went to the well and she filled the bottle with water. She gave the boy some water to drink.
20God took care of Ishmael while he grew up. The boy lived in the desert. He became a hunter of wild animals. 21He lived in the Paran wilderness. Hagar, his mother, found an Egyptian wife for him to marry.
Abraham and Abimelech make an agreement together
22At that time Phicol was the leader of King Abimelech's army. Abimelech and Phicol said to Abraham, ‘We see that God helps you in everything that you do. 23So please make a promise to me in front of God. Promise that you will never deceive me, or my children, or my descendants. You are living here in this land as a stranger. I have been kind to you, so please show that you will also be kind to us.’ 24Abraham said, ‘I promise to do all that.’
25One day, Abraham complained to Abimelech about a certain well of water. Abimelech's servants had taken the well from Abraham. They said that the well belonged to them. 26Abimelech said, ‘I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me before. I did not hear about it until today.’
27So Abraham brought some sheep and some cows and he gave them to Abimelech. The two men made a promise to help each other. 28Abraham took seven female lambs from the sheep. He put them in a different place from the other animals. 29Abimelech asked Abraham, ‘Why have you put these seven lambs in a different place?’ 30Abraham replied, ‘You must accept these seven lambs as a gift from me. That will show that you agree that I dug this well. Everyone will know that it belongs to me.’ 31Because of that, the name of the place became ‘Beersheba’, because the two men made a promise there. #21:31 ‘Beersheba’ means ‘well of seven’ or ‘well of the promise’.
32In that way, they made a promise at Beersheba to help one another. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the leader of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.
33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. #21:33 A tamarisk tree can grow in dry places. It lives for a long time. Abraham was showing that he believed God's promises. In that place, he worshipped the Lord who is God for ever.
34Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
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MissionAssist 2018
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.
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.