Genesis 21
New Life Version
The Birth of Isaac
21 Then the Lord visited Sarah as He had said and did for her as He had promised. 2 Sarah was able to have a child and she gave birth to a son when Abraham was very old. He was born at the time the Lord said it would happen. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son who was born to him by Sarah. 4 Then Abraham did the religious act of the Jews on Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had told him to do. 5 Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. All who hear will laugh with me.” 7 She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet when he is so old I have given him a son.” 8 When the child grew old enough to stop nursing, Abraham made a special supper on that day.
Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away
9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian make fun of Isaac. Abraham was the father of Hagar’s son. 10 So Sarah said to Abraham, “Put this woman servant and her son out of your home. The son of this woman servant will never get any of the riches of the family as will my son Isaac.” 11 And the thing brought much sorrow to Abraham because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be full of sorrow because of the boy and the woman who serves you. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you. For your children and all their children’s children after you will be given a name through Isaac. 13 But I will also make a nation of the son of the woman who serves you, because he is your son.”
14 So Abraham got up early in the morning. He took bread and a leather bag of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder. He gave her the boy, and sent her away. She left, and went from place to place in the desert in Beersheba. 15 When the water was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she sat down as far away from him as an arrow flies. For she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” As she sat there, she cried a loud cry. 17 But God heard the voice of the boy. Then the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said, “Why are you so troubled, Hagar? Do not be afraid. For God has heard the cry of the boy. 18 Get up. Lift up the boy and hold him by the hand. For I will make a great nation of him.”
19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes. And she saw a well of water. She went and filled the leather bag with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy and he grew. He lived in the desert, and became very good in using the bow. 21 While living in the desert of Paran, his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
The Agreement at Beersheba
22 At that time, Abimelech with Phicol, the head of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 So promise me here by God that you will not work against me, or my son, or any children after me. I have shown you kindness. So return kindness to me and to the land where you have come.” 24 Abraham said, “I promise.” 25 But Abraham spoke to Abimelech about a well of water that the servants of Abimelech had taken. 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who did this. You never told me. And I did not hear about it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. Then the two men made an agreement. 28 Abraham set seven lambs of the flock away from the others. 29 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven lambs that you have set apart mean?” 30 Abraham said, “Take these seven lambs from me as an agreement to me that I dug this well.” 31 So he gave that place the name Beersheba because both of them made a promise there. 32 So they made an agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the head of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tree at Beersheba. He called there on the name of the Lord, the God Who lives forever. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for many days.
Genesis 21
New Living Translation
The Birth of Isaac
21 The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. 2 She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. 3 And Abraham named their son Isaac. 4 Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.
6 And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter.[a] All who hear about this will laugh with me. 7 Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”
Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away
8 When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. 9 But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac.[b] 10 So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!”
11 This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. 12 But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. 13 But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”
14 So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. 16 Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards[c] away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears.
17 But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.”
19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink.
20 And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, 21 and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.
Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech
22 About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. 23 “Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.”
24 Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants.
26 “This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.”
27 Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. 28 But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves. 29 Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?”
30 Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” 31 Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was where they had sworn the oath.
32 After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God.[d] 34 And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time.
Genesis 21
Easy-to-Read Version
Finally, a Baby for Sarah
21 The Lord came back to visit Sarah as he said he would, and he kept his promise to her. 2 At exactly the time God said it would happen, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. 3 Abraham named his son Isaac.[a] 4 Abraham did what God commanded and circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old.
5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 Sarah said, “God has made me happy, and everyone who hears about this will be happy with me. 7 No one thought that I, Sarah, would be able to have Abraham’s child. But I have given Abraham a son, even though he is old.”
Trouble at Home
8 Isaac continued to grow, and soon he was old enough to begin eating solid food. So Abraham gave a big party. 9 Sarah saw Hagar’s son playing. (Hagar was the Egyptian slave woman who gave birth to Abraham’s first son.) 10 Sarah said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. Send them away! When we die, our son Isaac will get everything we have. I don’t want that slave woman’s son sharing these things with my son Isaac!”
11 This upset Abraham very much. He was worried about his son Ishmael. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Don’t worry about the boy and the slave woman. Do what Sarah wants. Your descendants will be those who come through Isaac. 13 But I will also bless the son of your slave woman. He is your son, so I will make a great nation from his family also.”
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and water and gave them to Hagar. She carried them and left with her boy. She left that place and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.
15 After some time, when all their drinking water was gone, Hagar put her son under a bush. 16 Then she walked a short distance away and sat down. She thought her son would die because there was no water. She did not want to watch him die. She sat there and began to cry.
17 God heard the boy crying, and God’s angel called to Hagar from heaven. He said, “What is wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid! God has heard the boy crying there. 18 Go help the boy. Hold his hand and lead him. I will make him the father of many people.”
19 Then God allowed Hagar to see a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her bag with water. Then she gave water to the boy to drink.
20 God continued to be with the boy while he grew up. Ishmael lived in the desert and became a hunter. He learned to shoot a bow very well. 21 His mother found a wife for him in Egypt. They continued to live in the Paran desert.
Abraham’s Bargain With Abimelech
22 Then Abimelech and Phicol spoke with Abraham. Phicol was the commander of Abimelech’s army. They said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 So make a promise to me here before God. Promise that you will be fair with me and with my children. Promise that you will be kind to me and this country where you have lived. Promise that you will be as kind to me as I have been to you.”
24 And Abraham said, “I promise to treat you the same way you have treated me.” 25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech because Abimelech’s servants had captured a well of water.
26 But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me about this before today!”
27 So Abraham and Abimelech made an agreement. Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle as proof of the agreement. 28 Abraham also put seven[b] female lambs in front of Abimelech.
29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why did you put these seven female lambs by themselves?”
30 Abraham answered, “When you accept these lambs from me, it will be proof that I dug this well.”
31 So after that, the well was called Beersheba.[c] Abraham gave the well this name because it was the place where they made a promise to each other.
32 So Abraham and Abimelech made an agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, his military commander, went back to the country of the Philistines.
33 Abraham planted a special tree at Beersheba and prayed to the Lord, the God who lives forever. 34 And Abraham lived as a stranger for a long time in the country of the Philistines.
Footnotes
- Genesis 21:3 Isaac This name means “he laughs” or “he is happy.”
- Genesis 21:28 seven The Hebrew word for “seven” is like the Hebrew word for “oath” or “promise,” and it is like the last part of the name Beersheba. The seven animals were proof of this promise.
- Genesis 21:31 Beersheba This name means “well of the oath.”
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