Genesis 16

1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.

Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had not conceived children. But, having an Egyptian handmaid named Hagar,

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

she said to her husband: “Behold, the Lord has closed me, lest I give birth. Enter to my handmaid, so that perhaps I may receive sons of her at least.” And when he agreed to her supplication,

3 So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

she took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, ten years after they began to live in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to her husband as a wife.

4 And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

And he entered to her. But when she saw that she had conceived, she despised her mistress.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

And Sarai said to Abram: “You have acted unfairly against me. I gave my handmaid into your bosom, who, when she saw that she had conceived, held me in contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you.”

6 “Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.

Abram responded to her by saying, “Behold, your handmaid is in your hand to treat as it pleases you.” And so, when Sarai afflicted her, she took flight.

7 Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.

And when the Angel of the Lord had found her, near the fountain of water in the wilderness, which is on the way to Shur in the desert,

8 “Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.

he said to her: “Hagar, handmaid of Sarai, where have you come from? And where will you go?” And she answered, “I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress.”

9 So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”

And the Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”

10 Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”

And again he said, “I will multiply your offspring continuously, and they will not be numbered because of their multitude.”

11 The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.

But thereafter he said: “Behold, you have conceived, and you will give birth to a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has heard your affliction.

12 He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

He will be a wild man. His hand will be against all, and all hands will be against him. And he will pitch his tents away from the region of all his brothers.”

13 So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”

Then she called upon the name of the Lord who had spoken to her: “You are the God who has seen me.” For she said, “Certainly, here I have seen the back of the one who sees me.”

14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

Because of this, she called that well: ‘The well of the one who lives and who sees me.’ The same is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.

And Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, who called his name Ishmael.

16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael for him.