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21 And Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken;

and Sarah conceiveth, and beareth a son to Abraham, to his old age, at the appointed time that God hath spoken of with him;

and Abraham calleth the name of his son who is born to him, whom Sarah hath born to him -- Isaac;

and Abraham circumciseth Isaac his son, [being] a son of eight days, as God hath commanded him.

And Abraham [is] a son of a hundred years in Isaac his son being born to him,

and Sarah saith, `God hath made laughter for me; every one who is hearing laugheth for me.'

She saith also, `Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?'

And the lad groweth, and is weaned, and Abraham maketh a great banquet in the day of Isaac's being weaned;

and Sarah seeth the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she hath borne to Abraham, mocking,

10 and she saith to Abraham, `Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid hath no possession with my son -- with Isaac.'

11 And the thing is very wrong in the eyes of Abraham, for his son's sake;

12 and God saith unto Abraham, `Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee -- hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee.

13 As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he [is] thy seed.'

14 And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and taketh bread, and a bottle of water, and giveth unto Hagar (placing [it] on her shoulder), also the lad, and sendeth her out; and she goeth on, and goeth astray in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba;

15 and the water is consumed from the bottle, and she placeth the lad under one of the shrubs.

16 And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, `Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.

17 And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, `What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he [is];

18 rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.'

19 And God openeth her eyes, and she seeth a well of water, and she goeth and filleth the bottle [with] water, and causeth the youth to drink;

20 and God is with the youth, and he groweth, and dwelleth in the wilderness, and is an archer;

21 and he dwelleth in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother taketh for him a wife from the land of Egypt.

22 And it cometh to pass at that time that Abimelech speaketh -- Phichol also, head of his host -- unto Abraham, saying, `God [is] with thee in all that thou art doing;

23 and now, swear to me by God here: thou dost not lie to me, or to my continuator, or to my successor; according to the kindness which I have done with thee thou dost with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.'

24 And Abraham saith, `I -- I do swear.'

25 And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away,

26 and Abimelech saith, `I have not known who hath done this thing, and even thou didst not declare to me, and I also, I have not heard save to-day.'

27 And Abraham taketh sheep and oxen, and giveth to Abimelech, and they make, both of them, a covenant;

28 and Abraham setteth seven Lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 And Abimelech saith unto Abraham, `What [are] they -- these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?'

30 And he saith, `For -- the seven lambs thou dost accept from my hand, so that it becometh a witness for me that I have digged this well;'

31 therefore hath he called that place `Beer-Sheba,' for there have both of them sworn.

32 And they make a covenant in Beer-Sheba, and Abimelech riseth -- Phichol also, head of his host -- and they turn back unto the land of the Philistines;

33 and [Abraham] planteth a tamarask in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during;

34 and Abraham sojourneth in the land of the Philistines many days.

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) Sarah became pregnant and bore a son(C) to Abraham in his old age,(D) at the very time God had promised him.(E) Abraham gave the name Isaac[a](F) to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him,(G) as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old(H) when his son Isaac was born to him.

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter,(I) and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 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

The child grew and was weaned,(K) and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 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

  1. Genesis 21:3 Isaac means he laughs.
  2. Genesis 21:12 Or seed
  3. Genesis 21:16 Hebrew; Septuagint the child
  4. Genesis 21:31 Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath.

21 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

14 And Abraham rose 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, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an 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 it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host 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 deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

24 And Abraham said, I will swear.

25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.

31 Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.

34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.