Genesis 16

1 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, has not borne to him, and she has a handmaid, an Egyptian, and her name [is] Hagar;

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

2 and Sarai says to Abram, “Now behold, YHWH has restrained me from bearing, please go in to my handmaid; perhaps I am built up from her”; and Abram listens 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 And Sarai, Abram’s wife, takes Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, at the end of the tenth year of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan, and gives her to her husband Abram—to him for a 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 goes in to Hagar, and she conceives, and she sees that she has conceived, and her mistress is lightly esteemed in her eyes.

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

5 And Sarai says to Abram, “My violence [is] for you; I have given my handmaid into your bosom, and she sees that she has conceived, and I am lightly esteemed in her eyes; YHWH judges between me and you.”

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 And Abram says to Sarai, “Behold, your handmaid [is] in your hand, do to her that which is good in your eyes”; and Sarai afflicted her, and she flees from her presence.

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 And the Messenger of YHWH finds her by the fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way [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 and He says, “Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid, from where have you come, and to where do you go?” And she says, “From the presence of Sarai, my mistress, I am fleeing.”

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 And the Messenger of YHWH says to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hands”;

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

10 and the Messenger of YHWH says to her, “Multiplying I multiply your seed, and it is not numbered from multitude”;

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

11 and the Messenger of YHWH says to her, “Behold you [are] conceiving, and bearing a son, and have called his name Ishmael, for YHWH has listened to your 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 and he is a wild-donkey man, his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him—and before the face of all his brothers he dwells.”

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 And she calls the Name of YHWH who is speaking to her, “You [are], O God, my beholder”; for she said, “Even here have I looked behind my beholder?”

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 has one called the well, “The well of the Living One, my beholder”; behold, 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 bears a son to Abram; and Abram calls the name of his son, whom Hagar has borne, Ishmael;

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

16 and Abram [is] a son of eighty-six years in Hagar’s bearing Ishmael to Abram.

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