Genesis 21
1 Yahweh was very kind to Sarah, just as he said he would be. He did for Sarah exactly what he promised to do.
Then the Lord visited Sarah, just as he had promised; and he fulfilled what he had spoken.
2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was very old, at the time God promised it would happen.
And she conceived and gave birth to a son in her old age, at the time that God had foretold to her.
3 Abraham gave the name ‘Isaac’ (which means ‘he laughs’) to the son Sarah gave birth to.
And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sarah bore for him, Isaac.
4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when his son was eight days old, just as God commanded him to do.
And he circumcised him on the eighth day, just as God had instructed him,
5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born.
when he was one hundred years old. Indeed, at this stage of his father’s life, Isaac was born.
6 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.”
And Sarah said: “God has brought laughter to me. Whoever will hear of it will laugh with me.”
7 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.”
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 baby grew and was weaned [when he was about three years old]. On that day, Abraham prepared a large feast to celebrate.
And the boy grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning.
9 ([One day/During the feast)] Sarah noticed that Hagar’s son Ishmael was (making fun of/playing with) Isaac.
And when Sarah had seen the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac, she said to Abraham:
10 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!”
“Cast out this woman servant and her son. For the son of a woman servant will not be heir with my son Isaac.”
11 Abraham was very distressed about the matter, because he was concerned about his son [Ishmael].
Abraham took this grievously, for the sake of his son.
12 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.
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 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.”
Yet I will also make the son of the woman servant into a great nation, for he is your offspring.”
14 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].
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 After they had drunk all the water in the container, she put her son under one of the bushes there.
And when the water in the skin had been consumed, she set aside the boy, under one of the trees that were there.
16 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].
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 [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.
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 Help your son up, and hold his hand as you leave, because I will cause his descendants to become a great nation.”
Rise up. Take the boy and hold him by the hand. For I will make of him a great nation.”
19 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.
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 helped the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became a good (archer/man who hunts with bow and arrows).
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 Paran Desert. While e was there, Hagar got a wife for him from Egypt.
And he lived in the desert of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22 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.
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 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.”
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 So Abraham promised to do that.
And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 [Then] Abraham complained to Abimelech about one of Abraham’s wells that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
And he reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which his servants had taken away by force.
26 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.”
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 So Abraham brought some sheep and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a (treaty/peace agreement).
And so Abraham took sheep and oxen, and he gave them to Abimelech. And both of them struck a pact.
28 Abraham separated seven female lambs from his flock.
And Abraham set aside seven female lambs from the flock.
29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What are these seven female lambs that you have separated from the rest of your flock?”
Abimelech said to him, “What purpose have these seven female lambs, which you have caused to stand separately?”
30 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.”
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 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.
For this reason, that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them did swear.
32 After they made the agreement at Beersheba, Abimelech and his army commander, Phicol, left, and returned to the land of the Philistine people-group.
And they initiated a pact on behalf of the well of oath.
33 Abraham planted a (tamarisk tree/kind of tree called esel) there, and he worshiped the eternal God there.
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 in the land of the Philistine people-group for a long time.
And he was a settler in the land of the Palestinians for many days.
