< Genesis 21 >
1 And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as he had spoken.
Yahweh was very kind to Sarah, just as he said he would be. He did for Sarah exactly what he promised to do.
2 And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.
She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was very old, at the time God promised it would happen.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
Abraham gave the name ‘Isaac’ (which means ‘he laughs’) to the son Sarah gave birth to.
4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when his son was eight days old, just as God commanded him to do.
5 And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born.
6 And Sarah said, God has made me laugh: all that hear will laugh with me.
And Sarah said, “[Although I was sad before because I did not have any children], God has now enabled me to laugh, and everyone who hears about what God has done for me will laugh with me.”
7 And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle children? For I have borne [him] a son in his old age.
Then she also said, “No one would have said to Abraham that some day Sarah would nurse a child, but I have given birth to a son when Abraham is very old.”
8 And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
The baby grew and was weaned [when he was about three years old]. On that day, Abraham prepared a large feast to celebrate.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
([One day/During the feast)] Sarah noticed that Hagar’s son Ishmael was (making fun of/playing with) Isaac.
10 And 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.
So she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman from Egypt and her son! I do not want the son of that slave woman to be alone (OR, to be an heir along with) my son, Isaac!”
11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
Abraham was very distressed about the matter, because he was concerned about his son [Ishmael].
12 And God 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.
But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about your son, Ishmael, and about your maidservant, Hagar. Do everything that Sarah tells you to do. Listen to her, because Isaac is the one who will be considered the ancestor of the descendants I promised to give you.
13 But also the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
But I will also cause the son of your maidservant to be the ancestor of the people of a great nation [MTY], because he is also your son.”
14 And 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.
So Abraham got up early the next morning. He got some food ready, put water in a container, and gave them to Hagar. He put them [in a bag] on her shoulder and sent them away. They wandered in the desert near Beersheba [town].
15 And the water was exhausted from the flask; and she cast the child under one of the shrubs,
After they had drunk all the water in the container, she put her son under one of the bushes there.
16 and 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.
Then she went and sat nearby, about (as far as someone can shoot an arrow/100 meters away), because she thought, “I cannot endure seeing my son die!” As she sat there, she began to cry [loudly] [MTY].
17 And God heard the voice of the lad. And the Angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens, and said to her, What [aileth] thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad there, where he is.
[The boy was crying too.] And God heard the boy crying. So he caused one of his angels to call out from heaven to Hagar, saying, “Hagar, are you worried about something? Do not be afraid, because God has heard the boy crying there.
18 Arise, take the lad, and hold him in thy hand; for I will make of him a great nation.
Help your son up, and hold his hand as you leave, because I will cause his descendants to become a great nation.”
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the flask with water, and gave the lad drink.
Then God showed her a well of water. So she went to the well and filled the container with water, and gave the boy a drink.
20 And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
God helped the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became a good (archer/man who hunts with bow and arrows).
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
He lived in Paran Desert. While e was there, Hagar got a wife for him from Egypt.
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech, and Phichol the captain of his host, spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.
At that time, [King] Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “It is clear that God helps you with everything that you do.
23 And now swear to me here by God 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.
So now (solemnly promise/swear) to me here, as God is listening, that you will (not deceive/act fairly to) me and my children and my descendants, in return for my being kind to you. Be kind to me and to all the people here in the country where you are now living.”
24 And Abraham said, I will swear.
So Abraham promised to do that.
25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
[Then] Abraham complained to Abimelech about one of Abraham’s wells that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
26 And 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.
But Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done that. You did not tell me previously, and I did not hear about it until today.”
27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
So Abraham brought some sheep and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a (treaty/peace agreement).
28 And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
Abraham separated seven female lambs from his flock.
29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, What [mean] these seven ewe-lambs, these which thou hast set by themselves?
Abimelech asked Abraham, “What are these seven female lambs that you have separated from the rest of your flock?”
30 And 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.
Abraham replied, “I want you truly to accept these female lambs from me [SYN], so that it may be a (public witness/proof) that this well belongs to me because I dug it.”
31 Therefore he called that place Beer-sheba, because there they had sworn, both of them.
So Abimelech accepted the animals, and as a result they called that place Beersheba, [which means ‘Friendship Agreement Well’, ] because there the two of them made that agreement.
32 And 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.
After they made the agreement at Beersheba, Abimelech and his army commander, Phicol, left, and returned to the land of the Philistine people-group.
33 And [Abraham] planted a tamarisk in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Eternal God.
Abraham planted a (tamarisk tree/kind of tree called esel) there, and he worshiped the eternal God there.
34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
Abraham lived in the land of the Philistine people-group for a long time.