1Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.3Abraham gave the name Isaac[1] to the son Sarah bore him.4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him.5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.6Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’7And she added, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’
Hagar and Ishmael sent away
8The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast.9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,10and she said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.’11The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.12But 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[2] will be reckoned.13I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.’14Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. 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.15When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.16Then she went off and sat down about a bow-shot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there, she[3] began to sob.17God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.18Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.’19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.20God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.21While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
The treaty at Beersheba
22At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, ‘God is with you in everything you do.23Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness that I have shown to you.’24Abraham said, ‘I swear it.’25Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized.26But Abimelek said, ‘I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.’27So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty.28Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock,29and Abimelek asked Abraham, ‘What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?’30He replied, ‘Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.’31So that place was called Beersheba,[4] because the two men swore an oath there.32After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines.33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
Genesis 21
English Standard Version
The Birth of Isaac
1The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. (Ge 17:19; Ge 18:10; Ge 18:14; 1Sa 2:21)2And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. (Ge 17:21; Ga 4:22; Heb 11:11)3Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.[1] (Ge 17:19)4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. (Ge 17:10; Ge 17:12; Ac 7:8)5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. (Ge 17:1; Ge 17:17; Ro 4:19)6And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” (Isa 54:1; Ga 4:27)7And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Ge 18:11)
God Protects Hagar and Ishmael
8And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.[2] (Ge 16:1; Ge 16:15; Ga 4:29)10So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” (Ga 4:30)11And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son.12But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. (Ro 9:7; Heb 11:18)13And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” (Ge 16:10; Ge 17:20; Ge 21:18)14So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. (Ge 21:31)15When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes.16Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.17And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.18Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. (Nu 22:31; 2Ki 6:17; 2Ki 6:20; Lu 24:16; Lu 24:31)20And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. (Ge 16:12)21He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
A Treaty with Abimelech
22At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. (Ge 20:2; Ge 26:1; Ge 26:26; Ge 26:28)23Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” (Ge 20:14)24And Abraham said, “I will swear.”25When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, (Ge 26:15; Ge 26:18; Ge 26:20)26Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.”27So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. (Ge 26:31)28Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart.29And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?”30He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this[3] may be a witness for me that I dug this well.”31Therefore that place was called Beersheba,[4] because there both of them swore an oath. (Ge 26:33)32So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines.33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. (Ge 4:26; Ge 12:8; Ps 90:2; Isa 40:28)34And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.