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Genesis 16
1599 Geneva Bible

16 3 Sarai being barren giveth Hagar to Abram. 4 Which conceiveth and despiseth her dame: 6 And being ill handled, fleeth. 7 The Angel comforteth her. 11, 12 The name and manners of her son. 13 She calleth upon the Lord, whom she findeth true.

1 Now [a]Sarai Abram’s wife bore him no children, and she had a maid an Egyptian, Hagar by name.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath [b]restrained me from childbearing, I pray thee go in unto my maid: [c]it may be that I shall [d]receive a child by her. And Abram obeyed the voice of Sarai.

3 Then Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelled ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram for his wife.

4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her dame was [e]despised in her eyes.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, [f]Thou doest me wrong, I have given my maid into thy bosom, and she seeth that she hath conceived, and I am despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

6 Then Abram said to Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine [g]hand: do with her as it pleaseth thee. Then Sarai dealt roughly with her: wherefore she fled from her.

7 ¶ But the [h]Angel of the Lord found her beside a fountain in the way of Shur,

8 And he said, Hagar Sarai’s maid, whence comest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from my dame Sarai.

9 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, [i]Return to thy dame, and humble thyself under her hands.

10 Again the Angel of the Lord said unto her, I will so greatly increase thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11 Also the Angel of the Lord said unto her, See, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael: for the Lord hath heard thy tribulation.

12 And he shall be a [j]wild man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him, (A)and [k]he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

13 Then she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God lookest on me: for she said, [l]Have I not also here looked after him that seeth me?

14 (B)Wherefore the Well was called, [m]Beer Lahai Roi: lo, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 ¶ And Hagar bare Abram a son, and Abram called his son’s name which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

16 And Abram was four score and six years old when Hagar bare him Ishmael.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 16:1 It seemeth that she had respect to God’s promise, which could not be accomplished without issue.
  2. Genesis 16:2 She faileth in binding God’s power to the common order of nature, as though God could not give her children in her old age.
  3. Genesis 16:2 Or, peradventure.
  4. Genesis 16:2 Hebrew, be built by her.
  5. Genesis 16:4 This punishment declareth what they gain that attempt anything against the word of God.
  6. Genesis 16:5 Hebrew, mine injury is upon thee.
  7. Genesis 16:6 Or, power.
  8. Genesis 16:7 Which was Christ, as appeareth verse 13 and Gen. 18:17.
  9. Genesis 16:9 God rejecteth none estate of people in their misery, but sendeth them comfort.
  10. Genesis 16:12 Or, fierce and cruel, or; as a wild ass.
  11. Genesis 16:12 That is, the Ishmaelites shall be a peculiar people by themselves, and not a portion of another people.
  12. Genesis 16:13 She rebuketh her own dullness and acknowledgeth God’s graces, who was present with her everywhere.
  13. Genesis 16:14 Or, the well of the living, and seeing me.
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Genesis 16
New International Version

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:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.(U)
You shall name him(V) Ishmael,[a](W)
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.(X)
12 He will be a wild donkey(Y) of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward[b] all his brothers.(Z)”

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.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears.
  2. Genesis 16:12 Or live to the east / of
  3. Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of
  4. Genesis 16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.
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Genesis 16
English Standard Version

Sarai and Hagar

16 (A)Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was (B)Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children[a] by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram (C)had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, (D)she looked with contempt on her mistress.[b] 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May (E)the Lord judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to (F)Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, (G)“I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant
    and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,[c]
    (H)because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
12 He shall be (I)a wild donkey of a man,
    his hand against everyone
    and everyone's hand against him,
and he shall dwell (J)over against all his kinsmen.”

13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,”[d] for she said, (K)“Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”[e] 14 Therefore the well was called (L)Beer-lahai-roi;[f] it lies between (M)Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 16:2 Hebrew be built up, which sounds like the Hebrew for children
  2. Genesis 16:4 Hebrew her mistress was dishonorable in her eyes; similarly in verse 5
  3. Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears
  4. Genesis 16:13 Or You are a God who sees me
  5. Genesis 16:13 Hebrew Have I really seen him here who sees me? or Would I have looked here for the one who sees me?
  6. Genesis 16:14 Beer-lahai-roi means the well of the Living One who sees me
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