The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 21 -

And the Lord visited Sara, as he had promised: and fulfilled what he had spoken.

And she conceived and bore a son in her old age, at the time that God had foretold her.

And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sara bore him, Isaac.

And he circumcised him the eighth day, as God had commanded him,

When he was a hundred years old: for at this age of his father was Isaac born.

And Sara said: God hath made a laughter for me: whosoever shall hear of it will laugh with me.

And again she said: Who would believe that Abraham should hear that Sara gave suck to a son, whom she bore to him in his old age.

And the child grew and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

(Galatians 4:21–30)

And when Sara had seen the son of Agar the Egyptian playing with Isaac her son, she said to Abraham:

Cast out this bondwoman, and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.

Abraham took this grievously for his son.

And God said to him: Let it not seem grievous to thee for the boy, and for thy bondwoman: in all that Sara hath said to thee, hearken to her voice: for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

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

So Abraham rose up in the morning, and taking bread and a bottle of water, put it upon her shoulder, and delivered the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee.

And when the water in the bottle was spent, she cast the boy under one of the trees that were there.

And she went her way, and sat over against him a great way off as far as a bow can carry, for she said: I will not see the boy die: and sitting over against, she lifted up her voice and wept.

And God heard the voice of the boy: and an angel of God called to Agar from heaven, saying: What art thou doing, Agar? fear not: for God hath heard the voice of the boy, from the place wherein he is.

Arise, take up the boy, and hold him by the hand: for I will make him a great nation.

And God opened her eyes: and she saw a well of water, and went and filled the bottle, and gave the boy to drink.

And God was with him: and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became a young man, an archer.

And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pharan, and his mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

The Covenant at Beersheba

At the same time Abimelech, and Phicol the general of his army said to Abraham: God is with thee in all that thou dost.

Swear therefore by God, that thou wilt not hurt me, nor my posterity, nor my stock: but according to the kindness that I have done to thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the land wherein thou hast lived a stranger.

And Abraham said: I will swear.

And he reproved Abimelech for a well of water, which his servants had taken away by force.

And Abimelech answered: I knew not who did this thing: and thou didst not tell me, and I heard not of it till today.

And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech: and both of them made a league.

And Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock.

And Abimelech said to him: What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set apart?

But he said: Thou shalt take seven ewe lambs at my hand: that they may be a testimony for me, that I dug this well.

Therefore that place was called Bersabee: because there both of them did swear.

And they made a league for the well of oath.

And Abimelech, and Phicol the general of his army arose and returned to the land of the Palestines. But Abraham planted a grove in Bersabee, and there called upon the name of the Lord God eternal.

And he was a sojourner in the land of the Palestines many days.

The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.

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

Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.(a)

Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him.

Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

(Galatians 4:21–30)

Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this servant and her son! For the son of this servant will not be heir with my son, Isaac.”

The thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son.

God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your servant. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be named through Isaac.

I will also make a nation of the son of the servant, because he is your child.”

Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a container 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.

The water in the container was spent, and she put the child under one of the shrubs.

She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him with your hand. For I will make him a great nation.”

God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the container with water, and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and as he grew up, he became an archer.

He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

The Covenant at Beersheba

At that time, Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.

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.”

Abraham said, “I will swear.”

Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.

Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this thing. You didn’t tell me, and I didn’t hear of it until today.”

Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.

Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs, which you have set by themselves, mean?”

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.”

Therefore he called that place Beersheba,(b) because they both swore an oath there.

So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.

Footnotes

(a)21:3 Isaac means “He laughs”.

(b)21:31 Beersheba can mean “well of the oath” or “well of seven”.