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Genesis 21
1599 Geneva Bible
Genesis 21
1599 Geneva Bible
21 3 Isaac is born. 9 Ishmael mocketh Isaac. 14 Hagar is cast out with her son. 17 The Angel comforteth Hagar. 32 The covenant between Abimelech and Abraham. 33 Abraham called upon the Lord.
1 Now the Lord visited Sarah, as he had said, and did unto her (A)according as he had promised.
2 For (B)Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his [a]old age, at the same season that God told him.
3 And Abraham called his son’s name that was born unto him, which Sarah bare him, Isaac.
4 Then Abraham circumcised Isaac his son, when he was eight days old, (C)as God had commanded him.
5 So Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6 ¶ Then Sarah said, God hath made me to rejoice: all that hear, will rejoice with me.
7 Again she said, [b]Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age.
8 Then the child grew and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 ¶ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian (which she had borne unto Abraham) [c]mocking.
10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, (D)Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.
11 And this thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight, because of his son.
12 ¶ But God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight for the child, and for thy bondwoman: in all that Sarah shall say unto thee, hear her voice: for in Isaac shall thy seed be [d]called.
13 As for the son of the bondwoman, I will make him [e]a nation also, because he is thy seed.
14 So Abraham arose up early in the morning and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar putting it on her shoulder, and the child also, and [f]sent her away: who departing, wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And when the water of the bottle was spent, she cast the child under a certain tree.
16 Then she went and sat her over against him afar off about a bow shoot: for she said, I will not see the death of the child. And she sat down over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 Then God [g]heard the voice of the child, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the child where he is.
18 Arise, take up the child, and hold him in thine hand: for I will make him a great people.
19 And God [h]opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water: so she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink.
20 So God was [i]with the child, and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and was an [j]archer.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
22 ¶ And at the same time Abimelech and Phichol his chief captain spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.
23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not [k]hurt me, nor my children, nor my children’s children: thou shalt deal with me, and with the country, where thou hast been a stranger, according unto the kindness that I have showed thee.
24 Then Abraham said, I will [l]swear.
25 And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.
26 And Abimelech said, [m]I know not who hath done this thing: also thou toldest me not, neither heard I of it but this day.
27 Then Abraham took sheep and beeves, and gave them unto Abimelech: and they two made a covenant.
28 And Abraham set seven lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 Then Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven lambs, which thou hast set by themselves?
30 And he answered, Because thou shalt receive of mine hand these seven lambs, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.
31 Wherefore the place is called [n]Beersheba, because there they both swear.
32 Thus made they a [o]covenant at Beersheba: afterward Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain rose up, and turned again unto the land of the Philistines.
33 ¶ And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and [p]called there on the Name of the Lord, the everlasting God.
34 And Abraham was a stranger in the Philistine’s land a long season.
Footnotes
- Genesis 21:2 Therefore the miracle was greater.
- Genesis 21:7 She accuseth herself of ingratitude, that she did not believe the Angel.
- Genesis 21:9 He derided God’s promise made to Isaac, which the Apostle calleth persecution, Gal. 4:29.
- Genesis 21:12 The promised seed shall be counted from Isaac, and not from Ishmael, Rom. 9:7; Heb. 11:18.
- Genesis 21:13 The Ishmaelites shall come of him.
- Genesis 21:14 True faith renounceth all natural affections to obey God’s commandment.
- Genesis 21:17 For his promise sake made to Abraham; and not because the child had discretion and judgment to pray.
- Genesis 21:19 Except God open our eyes, we can neither see, nor use the means which are before us.
- Genesis 21:20 As touching outward things God caused him to prosper.
- Genesis 21:20 Or, shot in the bow, and was an hunter.
- Genesis 21:23 Hebrew, deal falsely with me, or lie.
- Genesis 21:24 So that it is a lawful thing to take an oath in matters of importance, for to justify the truth, and to assure others of our sincerity.
- Genesis 21:26 Wicked servants do many evils unknown to their masters.
- Genesis 21:31 Or, well of the oath, or of seven, meaning lambs.
- Genesis 21:32 Thus we see that the godly, as touching outward things may make peace with the wicked that know not the true God.
- Genesis 21:33 That is, he worshipped God in all points of true Religion.
Genesis 21
New International Version
Genesis 21
New International Version
The Birth of Isaac
21 Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah(A) as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.(B) 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son(C) to Abraham in his old age,(D) at the very time God had promised him.(E) 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac[a](F) to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,(G) as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old(H) when his son Isaac was born to him.
6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter,(I) and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”(J)
Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
8 The child grew and was weaned,(K) and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham(L) was mocking,(M) 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman(N) and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”(O)
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.(P) 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring[b] will be reckoned.(Q) 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation(R) also, because he is your offspring.”
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar.(S) He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.(T)
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she[c] began to sob.(U)
17 God heard the boy crying,(V) and the angel of God(W) called to Hagar from heaven(X) and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid;(Y) God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.(Z)”
19 Then God opened her eyes(AA) and she saw a well of water.(AB) So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy(AC) as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran,(AD) his mother got a wife for him(AE) from Egypt.
The Treaty at Beersheba
22 At that time Abimelek(AF) and Phicol the commander of his forces(AG) said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.(AH) 23 Now swear(AI) to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants.(AJ) Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”(AK)
24 Abraham said, “I swear it.”
25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.(AL) 26 But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”
27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.(AM) 28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”
30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness(AN) that I dug this well.(AO)”
31 So that place was called Beersheba,[d](AP) because the two men swore an oath(AQ) there.
32 After the treaty(AR) had been made at Beersheba,(AS) Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces(AT) returned to the land of the Philistines.(AU) 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree(AV) in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord,(AW) the Eternal God.(AX) 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines(AY) for a long time.
Footnotes
- Genesis 21:3 Isaac means he laughs.
- Genesis 21:12 Or seed
- Genesis 21:16 Hebrew; Septuagint the child
- Genesis 21:31 Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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