Genesis 16
16
Hagar and Ishmael
1Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, 2and Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine.”#16.2 Sleep … mine: It was the custom for a wife who could not have children to let her husband sleep with one of her slave women. The children of the slave would belong to the wife. Abram agreed, 3and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. 4Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and treated Sarai hatefully.
5Then Sarai said to Abram, “It's all your fault!#16.5 It's … fault: Or “I hope you'll be punished for what you did to me!” I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the Lord for this.”
6Abram said, “All right! She's your slave—do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
7Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the Lord came to her 8and asked, “Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
She answered, “I'm running away from Sarai, my owner.”
9The angel said, “Go back to Sarai and be her slave. 10-11I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael,#16.10,11 Ishmael: In Hebrew “Ishmael” sounds like “God hears.” because I have heard your cry for help. And someday I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. 12But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him.”
13Hagar thought, “Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?”#16.13 Have … it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. So from then on she called him, “The God Who Sees Me.”#16.13 The God Who Sees Me: Or “The God I Have Seen.” 14That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”#16.14 The Well … Me: Or “Beer-Lahai-Roi” (see 25.11).
15-16 #
Ga 4.22. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael.
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Genesis 16: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Bereshis 16
16
1Now Sarai Avramʼs isha bore him no children; and she had a shifchah, an Egyptian, whose shem was Hagar.
2And Sarai said unto Avram, Hinei now, Hashem hath restrained me from bearing; go now in unto my shifchah; it may be that I may build family by her. And Avram paid heed to the voice of Sarai.
3And Sarai Avramʼs isha took Hagar her shifchah the Egyptian, after Avram had dwelt ten years in Eretz Kena'an, and gave her to her husband Avram to be his isha.
4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her gevirah was despised in her eyes.
5And Sarai said unto Avram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my shifchah unto thy kheyk; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; Hashem judge between me and thee.
6But Avram said unto Sarai, Hinei, thy shifchah is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her face.
7And the Malach Hashem found her by a spring of mayim in the midbar, near the spring on the road to Shur.
8And he said, Hagar, Saraiʼs shifchah, from where camest thou? And where wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my gevirah Sarai.
9And the Malach Hashem said unto her, Return to thy gevirah, and submit thyself under her hands.
10And the Malach Hashem said unto her, I will multiply thy zera exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11And the Malach Hashem said unto her, See, thou art with child and shalt bear ben, and shalt call shmo Yishmael; because Hashem shema thy oni (misery).
12And he will be a pere adam; his yad will be against kol, and kol yad against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13And she called the Shem of Hashem Who spoke unto her, El Roi (G-d Who Sees); for she said, Have I also here seen after Him that seeth me?
14Therefore the well was called Be'er Lachai Roi; hinei, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15And Hagar bore Avram ben; and Avram called shem bno, which Hagar bore, Yishmael (Ishmael).
16And Avram was fourscore and six shanah when Hagar bore Yishmael to Avram.
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