Genesis 21
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: NASB2020
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Genesis 21
21
Isaac Is Born
1The Lord was gracious to Sarah, just as he had said he would be. The Lord did for Sarah what he had promised to do. 2Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. The child was born at the exact time God had promised. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him. 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. He did it exactly as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6Sarah said, “God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would breast-feed children? But I’ve had a son by him when he is old.”
Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away
8Isaac grew. The time came for his mother to stop breast-feeding him. On that day Abraham prepared a big celebration. 9But Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac. Ishmael was the son Hagar had by Abraham. Hagar was Sarah’s Egyptian slave. 10Sarah said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman! Get rid of her son! That woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. All of it belongs to my son Isaac.”
11What Sarah said upset Abraham very much. After all, Ishmael was his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be so upset about the boy and your slave Hagar. Listen to what Sarah tells you, because your family line will continue through Isaac. 13I will also make the son of your slave into a nation. I will do it because he is your child.”
14Early the next morning Abraham got some food and a bottle of water. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He gave the food and water to Hagar, placing them on her shoulders. Then he sent her away with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.
15When the water in the bottle was gone, she put the boy under a bush. 16Then she sat down about as far away as a person can shoot an arrow. She thought, “I can’t stand to watch the boy die.” As she sat there, she began to sob.
17God heard the boy crying. Then the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven. He said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18Lift up the boy and take him by the hand. I will make him into a great nation.”
19Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the boy a drink.
20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and learned to shoot a bow and arrow. 21While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
The Agreement at Beersheba
22At that time Abimelek and his army commander, Phicol, spoke to Abraham. They said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23Now make a promise to me here while God is watching. Give me your word that you will treat me fairly. Promise that you will treat my children and their children the same way. I’ve been kind to you. Now you be kind to me and the country where you are living as an outsider.”
24Abraham said, “I give you my word that I’ll do it.”
25Then Abraham complained to Abimelek that his servants had taken over a well of water. 26But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You didn’t tell me. And today is the first time I heard about it.”
27So Abraham gave Abimelek sheep and cattle. The two men came to an agreement. 28Then Abraham picked out seven female lambs from his flock. 29Abimelek asked Abraham, “What’s the meaning of these seven female lambs? Why have you picked them out and set them apart?”
30Abraham replied, “Accept the seven lambs from me. They will be a witness that I dug this well.”
31So that place was named Beersheba. That’s because there the two men came to an agreement.
32After the agreement had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek went back to the land of the Philistines. His army commander, Phicol, went with him. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. There he called on the name of the Lord, the God who lives forever. 34Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
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