Genesis 16

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

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne any children for him, but she had a female servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

2 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,

So Sarai said to Abram, “See, Yahweh has kept me from having children. Go sleep with my servant. It may be that I will have children by her.” Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

3 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.

It was after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan that Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband as a wife.

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

So he had relations with Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

5 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.”

Then Sarai said to Abram, “This wrong on me is because of you. I gave my servant woman into your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Let Yahweh judge between me and you.”

6 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.

But Abram said to Sarai, “See here, your servant woman is in your power, do to her what you think best.” So Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7 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,

The angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring that is on the way to Shur.

8 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.”

He said, “Hagar, Sarai's servant, where did you come from and where are you going?” Then she said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”

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

The angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.”

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

Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants, so that they will be too numerous to count.”

11 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.

The angel of Yahweh also said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and will bear a son, and you will call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh has heard your affliction.

12 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.”

He will be a wild donkey of a man. He will be hostile against every man, and every man will be hostile to him, and he will live apart from all his brothers.”

13 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.”

Then she gave this name to Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Do I really continue to see, even after he has seen me?”

14 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.

Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

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

Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

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

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