< Genesis 21 >

1 Now God visited Sarah as he had said, and did to Sarah as he had spoken.
Then the Lord visited Sarah, just as he had promised; and he fulfilled what he had spoken.
2 Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
And she conceived and gave birth to a son in her old age, at the time that God had foretold to her.
3 Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sarah bore for him, Isaac.
4 Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
And he circumcised him on the eighth day, just as God had instructed him,
5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him.
when he was one hundred years old. Indeed, at this stage of his father’s life, Isaac was born.
6 Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me."
And Sarah said: “God has brought laughter to me. Whoever will hear of it will laugh with me.”
7 She said, "Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age."
And again, she said: “Hearing this, who would believe Abraham, that Sarah breast-fed a son, to whom she gave birth, despite being elderly?”
8 The child grew, and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
And the boy grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning.
9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
And when Sarah had seen the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac, she said to Abraham:
10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman and her son. For the son of this slave woman will not be heir with my son, Isaac."
“Cast out this woman servant and her son. For the son of a woman servant will not be heir with my son Isaac.”
11 The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.
Abraham took this grievously, for the sake of his son.
12 God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your slave woman. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For from Isaac will your descendants be called.
And God said to him: “Let it not seem harsh to you concerning the boy and your woman servant. In all that Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be invoked in Isaac.
13 And I will also make a great nation of the son of the slave woman, because he is your offspring."
Yet I will also make the son of the woman servant into a great nation, for he is your offspring.”
14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took food and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
And so Abraham arose in the morning, and taking bread and a skin of water, he placed it upon her shoulder, and he handed over the boy, and he released her. And when she had departed, she wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 The water in the skin was gone, and she shoved the boy under one of the shrubs.
And when the water in the skin had been consumed, she set aside the boy, under one of the trees that were there.
16 She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, "Do not let me see the death of the boy." So she sat across from him, and he wept loudly.
And she moved away and sat in a distant area, as far as a bow can reach. For she said, “I shall not see the boy die.” And so, sitting opposite her, he lifted up his voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from the sky and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
But God heard the voice of the boy. And an Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, saying: “What are you doing, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heeded the voice of the boy, from the place where he is.
18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by your hand. For I will make him a great nation."
Rise up. Take the boy and hold him by the hand. For I will make of him a great nation.”
19 God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
And God opened her eyes. And seeing a well of water, she went and filled the skin, and she gave the boy to drink.
20 God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer.
And God was with him. And he grew, and he stayed in the wilderness, and he became a young man, an archer.
21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
And he lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22 It happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.
At the same time, Abimelech and Phicol, the leader of his army, said to Abraham: “God is with you in everything that you do.
23 Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner."
Therefore, swear by God that you will do no harm to me, and to my posterity, and to my stock. But according to the mercy that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land, to which you have turned as a newcomer.”
24 And Abraham said, "I swear."
And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
And he reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which his servants had taken away by force.
26 Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing. Neither did you tell me, neither did I hear of it, until today."
And Abimelech responded, “I do not know who did this thing, but you also did not reveal it to me, nor have I heard of it, before today.”
27 Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.
And so Abraham took sheep and oxen, and he gave them to Abimelech. And both of them struck a pact.
28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
And Abraham set aside seven female lambs from the flock.
29 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?"
Abimelech said to him, “What purpose have these seven female lambs, which you have caused to stand separately?”
30 He said, "You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well."
But he said, “You will receive seven female lambs from my hand, so that they may be a testimony for me, that I dug this well.”
31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore there.
For this reason, that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them did swear.
32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
And they initiated a pact on behalf of the well of oath.
33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of YHWH, the Everlasting God.
Then Abimelech and Phicol, the leader of his army, rose up, and they returned to the land of the Palestinians. In truth, Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord God Eternal.
34 Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.
And he was a settler in the land of the Palestinians for many days.

< Genesis 21 >