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Genesis 16
Expanded Bible
Genesis 16
Expanded Bible
Ishmael Is Born
16 Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, “Look, the Lord has ·not allowed me to have [L prevented/restrained me from having] children, so ·have sexual relations with [L go to] my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can ·have my own family [reproduce; have a child; L build] through her [C taking a second wife or concubine was common for a childless couple at the time].”
Abram did what Sarai said. 3 It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram as a ·wife [or concubine]. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)
4 Abram ·had sexual relations with [L went in to] Hagar, and she ·became pregnant [conceived]. When Hagar learned she ·was pregnant [conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] her mistress Sarai ·badly [with contempt]. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “·This is your fault [L May the wrong/violence done to me be on you]. I gave my slave girl ·to you [into your embrace; L into your lap], and when she ·became pregnant [L conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] me ·badly [with contempt]. Let the Lord ·decide who is right—[judge between] you or me.”
6 But Abram said to Sarai, “·You are Hagar’s mistress [L Your slave girl is in your hand/power]. Do ·anything you want [L what is good in your eyes] to her.” Then Sarai ·was hard on [afflicted; abused] Hagar, and Hagar ·ran away [L fled from her presence].
7 The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [C the angel of the Lord was either a representative of the Lord or the Lord himself; v. 13; Judg. 6:11, 14] found Hagar beside a spring of water in the ·desert [wilderness], by the road to Shur [C likely a location in southern Canaan; 20:1; 25:18; Ex. 15:22; 1 Sam. 15:7]. 8 ·The angel [L He] said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave girl, where have you come from? Where are you going?”
Hagar answered, “I am ·running away [fleeing] from my mistress Sarai.”
9 The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] said to her, “Go home to your mistress and ·obey [submit to] her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said, “I will ·give you so many descendants [L greatly multiply your seed so that] they cannot be counted.”
11 The ·angel [messenger] added,
“You ·are now pregnant [have conceived],
and you will ·have [L give birth to] a son.
You will name him Ishmael [C sounds like the verb “to hear”],
because the Lord has heard ·your cries [L of your affliction].
12 Ishmael will be ·like a wild donkey [L a wild donkey/ass of a man].
·He [L His hand] will be against everyone,
and ·everyone [L everyone’s hand] will be against him.
He will ·attack [L dwell against] all his brothers.”
13 The slave girl gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are ‘·God who sees me [or God of seeing; Hebrew El-Roi]’ ” because she said to herself, “Have I really seen God who sees me?” 14 So the well there, between Kadesh [C also known as Kadesh Barnea in northeast Sinai] and Bered [C location unknown], was called Beer Lahai Roi [C the well of the Living One who sees me].
15 Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named ·him [L his son which Hagar bore him] Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.
Genesis 16
Contemporary English Version
Genesis 16
Contemporary English Version
Hagar and Ishmael
16 Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar, 2 and 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, 3 and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. 4 Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and treated Sarai hatefully.
5 Then 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.”
6 Abram said, “All right! She's your slave—do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
7 Hagar 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 8 and asked, “Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
She answered, “I'm running away from Sarai, my owner.”
9 The angel said, “Go back to Sarai and be her slave. 10-11 I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael,[c] because I have heard your cry for help. And someday I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. 12 But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him.”
13 Hagar 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] 14 That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, “The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”[f]
15-16 (A) Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to their son, and he named him Ishmael.
Footnotes
- 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.
- 16.5 It's … fault: Or “I hope you'll be punished for what you did to me!”
- 16.10,11 Ishmael: In Hebrew “Ishmael” sounds like “God hears.”
- 16.13 Have … it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 16.13 The God Who Sees Me: Or “The God I Have Seen.”
- 16.14 The Well … Me: Or “Beer-Lahai-Roi” (see 25.11).
Genesis 16
New International Version
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
- Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears.
- Genesis 16:12 Or live to the east / of
- Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of
- Genesis 16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.
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