Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai,^(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.^(B) But she had an Egyptian slave^(C) named Hagar;^{(D) 2} so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.^(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”^(F)

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan^(G) ten years,^(H) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar,^(I) and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.^{(J) 5} Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”^(K)

⁶ “Your slave is in your hands,^(L)” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated^(M) Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of the Lord^(N) found Hagar near a spring^(O) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.^{(P) 8} And he said, “Hagar,^(Q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”^(R)

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

⁹ Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰ The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”^(S)

¹¹ The angel of the Lord^(T) also said to her:

¹³ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,^(AA)” for she said, “I have now seen^[c] the One who sees me.”^{(AB) 14} That is why the well^(AC) was called Beer Lahai Roi^[d];^(AD) it is still there, between Kadesh^(AE) and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar^(AF) bore Abram a son,^(AG) and Abram gave the name Ishmael^(AH) to the son she had borne. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old^(AI) when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

The Covenant of Circumcision

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,^(AJ) the Lord appeared to him^(AK) and said, “I am God Almighty^[e];^(AL) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.^{(AM) 2} Then I will make my covenant between me and you^(AN) and will greatly increase your numbers.”^(AO)

³ Abram fell facedown,^(AP) and God said to him, ⁴ “As for me, this is my covenant with you:^(AQ) You will be the father of many nations.^{(AR) 5} No longer will you be called Abram^[f]; your name will be Abraham,^[g](AS) for I have made you a father of many nations.^{(AT) 6} I will make you very fruitful;^(AU) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.^{(AV) 7} I will establish my covenant^(AW) as an everlasting covenant^(AX) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God^(AY) and the God of your descendants after you.^{(AZ) 8} The whole land of Canaan,^(BA) where you now reside as a foreigner,^(BB) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;^(BC) and I will be their God.^(BD)”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,^(BE) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.^{(BF) 10} This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.^{(BG) 11} You are to undergo circumcision,^(BH) and it will be the sign of the covenant^(BI) between me and you. ¹² For the generations to come^(BJ) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,^(BK) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. ¹³ Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.^(BL) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.^{(BM) 14} Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised^(BN) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;^(BO) he has broken my covenant.^(BP)”

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai^(BQ) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.^{(BR) 16} I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.^(BS) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;^(BT) kings of peoples will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown;^(BU) he laughed^(BV) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?^(BW) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”^{(BX) 18} And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael^(BY) might live under your blessing!”^(BZ)

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,^(CA) and you will call him Isaac.^[h](CB) I will establish my covenant with him^(CC) as an everlasting covenant^(CD) for his descendants after him. ²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.^(CE) He will be the father of twelve rulers,^(CF) and I will make him into a great nation.^{(CG) 21} But my covenant^(CH) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you^(CI) by this time next year.”^{(CJ) 22} When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.^(CK)

²³ On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household^(CL) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.^{(CM) 24} Abraham was ninety-nine years old^(CN) when he was circumcised,^{(CO) 25} and his son Ishmael^(CP) was thirteen; ²⁶ Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. ²⁷ And every male in Abraham’s household^(CQ), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.

Psalm 11

For the director of music. Of David.

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets.^(A) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.^{(B) 16} By their fruit you will recognize them.^(C) Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?^{(D) 17} Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.^{(E) 19} Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.^{(F) 20} Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’^(G) will enter the kingdom of heaven,^(H) but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.^{(I) 22} Many will say to me on that day,^(J) ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’^{(K) 23} Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’^(L)

The Wise and Foolish Builders^(M)

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice^(N) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things,^(O) the crowds were amazed at his teaching,^{(P) 29} because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.