Hagar and Ishmael

16 Abram’s wife, Sarai, had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar. Sarai(A) said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So Abram’s wife, Sarai, took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years. He slept with[a] Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she saw that she was pregnant, her mistress became contemptible to her. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering![b] I put my slave in your arms,[c] and when she saw that she was pregnant, I became contemptible to her. May the Lord judge between me and you.”(B)

Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your power; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.

The angel of the Lord(C) found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”

She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.”

The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 10 The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring,(D) and they will be too many to count.”

11 The angel of the Lord said to her, “You have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael,[d] for the Lord has heard your cry of affliction. 12 This man will be like a wild donkey. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him; he will settle near all his relatives.”(E)

13 So she named the Lord who spoke to her: “You are El-roi,”[e] for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen(F) the one who sees me?” [f]

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Footnotes

  1. 16:4 Lit He came to
  2. 16:5 Or “May my suffering be on you!
  3. 16:5 Lit bosom
  4. 16:11 = God Hears
  5. 16:13 = God Sees Me
  6. 16:13 Hb obscure

Psalm 139

The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God

For the choir director. A psalm of David.

Lord, you have searched me and known me.(A)
You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away.(B)
You observe my travels and my rest;
you are aware of all my ways.(C)
Before a word is on my tongue,
you know all about it, Lord.(D)
You have encircled me;
you have placed your hand on me.(E)
This wondrous knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.(F)

Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?(G)
If I go up to heaven, you are there;(H)
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.(I)
If I fly on the wings of the dawn
and settle down on the western horizon,[a]
10 even there your hand will lead me;
your right hand will hold on to me.(J)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”(K)
12 even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to you.(L)

13 For it was you who created my inward parts;[b]
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.(M)
14 I will praise you
because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.[c][d]
Your works are wondrous,
and I know this very well.(N)
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.(O)
16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in your book and planned
before a single one of them began.(P)

17 God, how precious[e] your thoughts are to me;
how vast their sum is!
18 If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;(Q)
when I wake up,[f] I am still with you.(R)

19 God, if only you would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me(S)
20 who invoke you deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by you falsely.(T)
21 Lord, don’t I hate those who hate you,
and detest those who rebel against you?
22 I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.(U)

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.(V)
24 See if there is any offensive[g] way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.(W)

Footnotes

  1. 139:9 Lit the end of the sea
  2. 139:13 Lit my kidneys
  3. 139:14 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Jer read because you are remarkable and wonderful
  4. 139:14 Hb obscure
  5. 139:17 Or difficult
  6. 139:18 Some Hb mss read I come to an end
  7. 139:24 Or idolatrous

Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 13:5 Dt 31:6

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