Genesis 21
Tree of Life Version
Birth of Isaac
21 Then Adonai visited Sarah just as He had said, and Adonai did for Sarah just as He had spoken. 2 So Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time that God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore for him—Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised Isaac, his eight-day-old son, just as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac his son was born to him.
6 So Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me! Everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham, ‘Sarah has nursed children’? For I have given birth to a son in his old age!”
Ishmael Banished, Yet Delivered
8 The child grew and was weaned—Abraham made a big feast on the day Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian whom she had born to Abraham—making fun. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this female slave and her son, for the son of this female slave will not be an heir with my son—with Isaac.”
11 Now the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s eyes on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be displeased about the boy and your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For through Isaac shall your seed be called. 13 Yet I will also make the son of the slave woman into a nation, because he is your seed.”
14 So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away. She went and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
15 When the water from the skin was finished, she abandoned the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat herself down opposite, about a bowshot away, for she had said, “I can’t bear to see the child dying!” So she sat down opposite and lifted up her voice and wept.
17 Then God heard the boy’s voice and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and He said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, because God has heard the boy’s voice where he is. 18 Get up! Lift the boy up, and hold on to him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”
19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the water skin, and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy and he grew. He dwelled in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 He dwelled in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Covenant of Abimelech and Abraham
22 Now it came about at that same time that Abimelech—with Phicol the commander of his army—said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 So now, make a pledge to me here, by God, that you will not violate your word with me or with my descendants or with my offspring. As I have shown loyalty to you, show the same to me, and to the land in which you have lived as an outsider.”
24 Abraham said, “I make a pledge.” 25 Now Abraham had rebuked Abimelech because of the well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 So Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this thing. Nor did you tell me, nor did I hear about it until today.”
27 Then Abraham took a flock of sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven young ewe-lambs apart from the flock of sheep by themselves. 29 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe-lambs that you’ve set by themselves mean?”
30 He said, “You are to accept the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, so that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 That is why that place is named Beer-sheba, because there both of them made a pledge, 32 and they made a covenant in Beer-sheba. Then Abimelech got up, with Phicol the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Then he planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba and called there on the Name of Adonai, the Everlasting God. 34 He lived as an outsider in the land of the Philistines for many days.
Genesis 21
Legacy Standard Bible
Isaac Is Born
21 (A)Now Yahweh visited Sarah as He had said, and Yahweh did for Sarah as He had [a]promised. 2 (B)So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at (C)the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, (D)Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was (E)eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was (F)one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made (G)laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh [b]with me.” 7 And she said, “(H)Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Sarah Sends Hagar Away
8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw (I)the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, [c](J)laughing in jest. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “(K)Drive out this maidservant and her son! The son of this maidservant shall not be an heir with my son, with Isaac.” 11 (L)And the matter [d]distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12 So God said to Abraham, “[e]Do not be distressed because of the boy and your maidservant; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice, for (M)through Isaac your seed shall be named. 13 And of (N)the son of the maidservant I will make a nation also, because he is your seed.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a [f]skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the child, and sent her away. So she went and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 When the water in the skin was finished, she [g]put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me [h]see when the child dies.” And she sat opposite him and (O)lifted up her voice and wept. 17 Then God (P)heard the voice of the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? (Q)Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the boy, and hold him by [i]the hand, (R)for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God (S)opened her eyes, and she saw (T)a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 (U)And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he [j]lived in the wilderness and was an archer. 21 (V)And he [k]lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
A Covenant with Abimelech
22 Now it happened at that time, that (W)Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “(X)God is with you in all that you do; 23 so now, (Y)swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the lovingkindness that I have shown you, you shall show me and the land in which you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25 But Abraham reproved Abimelech about the well of water which the servants of Abimelech (Z)had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it [l]until today.”
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and (AA)the two of them cut a covenant. 28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” 30 He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a (AB)witness to me, that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore he called that place (AC)Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. 32 So they cut a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there (AD)he called upon the name of Yahweh, the (AE)Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned (AF)in the land of the Philistines for many days.
Footnotes
- Genesis 21:1 Lit spoken
- Genesis 21:6 Lit for
- Genesis 21:9 Or playing
- Genesis 21:11 Lit was very grievous in Abraham’s sight
- Genesis 21:12 Lit Do not let it be grievous in your sight
- Genesis 21:14 A skin used as a bottle
- Genesis 21:15 Lit cast
- Genesis 21:16 Lit look upon the death of the child
- Genesis 21:18 Lit your
- Genesis 21:20 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 21:21 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 21:26 Lit except
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
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