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Genesis 16-17; Matthew 5:27-48 (Contemporary English Version)

Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Genesis 16-17 Listen to this passage View commentary related to this passage Genesis 16 Hagar and Ishmael ¹Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, ²and Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine." ^[a] Abram agreed, ³and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. ⁴Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and was hateful to Sarai. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! ^[b] I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the LORD for this." ⁶Abram said, "All right! She's your slave, and you can do whatever you want with her." But Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away. ⁷Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the LORD came to her ⁸and asked, "Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She answered, "I'm running away from Sarai, my owner." ⁹The angel said, "Go back to Sarai and be her slave. ^10-11I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, ^[c] because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. ¹²But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him." ¹³Hagar thought, "Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?" ^[d] So from then on she called him, "The God Who Sees Me." ^[e] ¹⁴That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." ^[f] ^15-16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael. Genesis 17 God's Promise to Abraham ¹Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, ²I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted." ³Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said: ^4-5I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. ^[g] ⁶I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. ⁷I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. ⁸I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God. ⁹Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. ^10-11As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family. ^12-13From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever. ¹⁴Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his promise to me and cannot be one of my people. ¹⁵Abraham, your wife's name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai. ¹⁶I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings. ¹⁷Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, "I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?" So he started laughing. ¹⁸Then he asked God, "Why not let Ishmael ^[h] inherit what you have promised me?" ¹⁹But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, ^[i] and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. ²⁰I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. ²¹But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever. ²²God finished speaking to Abraham and then left. ^23-27On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen. Footnotes: Genesis 16:2 Sleep. . . mine: It was the custom for a wife who could not have children to let her husband sleep with one of her slave women. The children of the slave would belong to the wife. Genesis 16:5 It's. . . fault: Or "I hope you'll be punished for what you did to me!" Genesis 16:10 Ishmael: In Hebrew "Ishmael" sounds like "God hears." Genesis 16:13 Have. . . it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Genesis 16:13 The God Who Sees Me: Or "The God I Have Seen." Genesis 16:14 The Well. . . Me: Or "Beer-Lahai-Roi" (see 25.11). Genesis 17:4 Abraham: In Hebrew "Abraham" sounds like "father of many nations." Genesis 17:18 Ishmael: Ishmael was the son of Sarah's slave Hagar (see 16.1-16). Genesis 17:19 Isaac: In Hebrew "Isaac" sounds like "laugh." Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
Matthew 5:27-48 Listen to this passage View commentary related to this passage Marriage ²⁷You know the commandment which says, "Be faithful in marriage." ²⁸But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell. ³⁰If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Divorce (Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18) ³¹You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her. ^[a] ³²But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin. ^[b] If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife. Promises ³³You know that our ancestors were told, "Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it." ³⁴But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven. ³⁵The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it. ³⁶Don't swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷When you make a promise, say only "Yes" or "No." Anything else comes from the devil. Revenge (Luke 6.29,30) ³⁸You know that you have been taught, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." ³⁹But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, ^[c] turn and let that person slap your other cheek. ⁴⁰If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. ⁴¹If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles. ^[d] ⁴²When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them. Love (Luke 6.27,28,32-36) ⁴³You have heard people say, "Love your neighbors and hate your enemies." ⁴⁴But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. ⁴⁵Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. ⁴⁶If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors ^[e] love their friends. ⁴⁷If you greet only your friends, what's so great about that? Don't even unbelievers do that? ⁴⁸But you must always act like your Father in heaven. Footnotes: Matthew 5:31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife. Matthew 5:32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus 18.6-18 or to some serious sexual sin. Matthew 5:39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult. Matthew 5:41 two miles: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as one mile. Matthew 5:46 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion. Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Genesis 16-17

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Genesis 16

Hagar and Ishmael

¹Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, ²and Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine." ^[a] Abram agreed, ³and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. ⁴Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and was hateful to Sarai. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! ^[b] I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the LORD for this." ⁶Abram said, "All right! She's your slave, and you can do whatever you want with her." But Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

⁷Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the LORD came to her ⁸and asked, "Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

She answered, "I'm running away from Sarai, my owner."

⁹The angel said, "Go back to Sarai and be her slave. ^10-11I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, ^[c] because I have heard your cry for help. And later I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. ¹²But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him." ¹³Hagar thought, "Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?" ^[d] So from then on she called him, "The God Who Sees Me." ^[e] ¹⁴That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me." ^[f] ^15-16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael.

Genesis 17

God's Promise to Abraham

¹Abram was ninety-nine years old when the LORD appeared to him again and said, "I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, ²I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted." ³Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said:

^4-5I promise that you will be the father of many nations. That's why I now change your name from Abram to Abraham. ^[g] ⁶I will give you a lot of descendants, and in the future they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. ⁷I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. ⁸I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God.

⁹Abraham, you and all future members of your family must promise to obey me. ^10-11As the sign that you are keeping this promise, you must circumcise every man and boy in your family. ^12-13From now on, your family must circumcise every baby boy when he is eight days old. You must even circumcise any man or boy you have as a slave, both those born in your homes and those you buy from foreigners. This will be a sign that my promise to you will last forever. ¹⁴Any man who isn't circumcised hasn't kept his promise to me and cannot be one of my people.

¹⁵Abraham, your wife's name will now be Sarah instead of Sarai. ¹⁶I will bless her, and you will have a son by her. She will become the mother of nations, and some of her descendants will even be kings.

¹⁷Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, "I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?" So he started laughing. ¹⁸Then he asked God, "Why not let Ishmael ^[h] inherit what you have promised me?" ¹⁹But God answered:

No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, ^[i] and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. ²⁰I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. ²¹But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever.

²²God finished speaking to Abraham and then left.

^23-27On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen.

Footnotes:

Genesis 16:2 Sleep. . . mine: It was the custom for a wife who could not have children to let her husband sleep with one of her slave women. The children of the slave would belong to the wife.
Genesis 16:5 It's. . . fault: Or "I hope you'll be punished for what you did to me!"
Genesis 16:10 Ishmael: In Hebrew "Ishmael" sounds like "God hears."
Genesis 16:13 Have. . . it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Genesis 16:13 The God Who Sees Me: Or "The God I Have Seen."
Genesis 16:14 The Well. . . Me: Or "Beer-Lahai-Roi" (see 25.11).
Genesis 17:4 Abraham: In Hebrew "Abraham" sounds like "father of many nations."
Genesis 17:18 Ishmael: Ishmael was the son of Sarah's slave Hagar (see 16.1-16).
Genesis 17:19 Isaac: In Hebrew "Isaac" sounds like "laugh."

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Matthew 5:27-48

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Marriage

²⁷You know the commandment which says, "Be faithful in marriage." ²⁸But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to end up in hell. ³⁰If your right hand causes you to sin, chop it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one part of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Divorce

(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)

³¹You have been taught that a man who divorces his wife must write out divorce papers for her. ^[a] ³²But I tell you not to divorce your wife unless she has committed some terrible sexual sin. ^[b] If you divorce her, you will cause her to be unfaithful, just as any man who marries her is guilty of taking another man's wife.

Promises

³³You know that our ancestors were told, "Don't use the Lord's name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it." ³⁴But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God's throne, so don't swear by heaven. ³⁵The earth is God's footstool, so don't swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don't swear by it. ³⁶Don't swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷When you make a promise, say only "Yes" or "No." Anything else comes from the devil.

Revenge

(Luke 6.29,30)

³⁸You know that you have been taught, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." ³⁹But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek, ^[c] turn and let that person slap your other cheek. ⁴⁰If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. ⁴¹If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles. ^[d] ⁴²When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them.

Love

(Luke 6.27,28,32-36)

⁴³You have heard people say, "Love your neighbors and hate your enemies." ⁴⁴But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. ⁴⁵Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. ⁴⁶If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors ^[e] love their friends. ⁴⁷If you greet only your friends, what's so great about that? Don't even unbelievers do that? ⁴⁸But you must always act like your Father in heaven.

Footnotes:

Matthew 5:31 write out divorce papers for her: Jewish men could divorce their wives, but the women could not divorce their husbands. The purpose of writing these papers was to make it harder for a man to divorce his wife. Before this law was made, all a man had to do was to send his wife away and say that she was no longer his wife.
Matthew 5:32 some terrible sexual sin: This probably refers to the laws about the wrong kinds of marriages that are forbidden in Leviticus 18.6-18 or to some serious sexual sin.
Matthew 5:39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult.
Matthew 5:41 two miles: A Roman soldier had the right to force a person to carry his pack as far as one mile.
Matthew 5:46 tax collectors: These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. They were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion.

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

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Passage results

Genesis 16-17; Matthew 5:27-48 (Contemporary English Version)

Genesis 16

Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 17

God's Promise to Abraham

Marriage

Divorce

(Matthew 19.9; Mark 10.11,12; Luke 16.18)

Promises

Revenge

(Luke 6.29,30)

Love

(Luke 6.27,28,32-36)