God forced the man to leave the garden. Then he put Cherub angels and a sword of fire at the entrance to the garden to protect it. The sword flashed around and around, guarding the way to the tree of life.

Hagar’s Son Ishmael

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert. The spring was by the road to Shur.

The angel said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave girl, why are you here? Where are you going?” Hagar said, “I am running away from Sarai.”

The angel of the Lord said to her, “Sarai is your owner. Go home to her and obey her.”

The angel of the Lord also said, “From you will come many people—too many people to count.”

Then the angel of the Lord said, “Hagar, you are now pregnant, and you will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, because the Lord has heard that you were treated badly.

Lot’s Visitors

That evening the two angels came to the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting near the city gates and saw them. He got up and went to them. He bowed to show respect and said, “Sirs, please come to my house, and I will serve you. There you can wash your feet and stay the night. Then tomorrow you can continue your journey.” The angels answered, “No, we will stay the night in the city square.”

The next morning at dawn, the angels were trying to make Lot hurry. They said, “This city will be punished, so take your wife and your two daughters who are still with you and leave this place. Then you will not be destroyed with the city.”

The angel said to Lot, “Very well, I’ll let you do that. I will not destroy that town.

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.

But the angel of the Lord stopped him. The angel called from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” Abraham answered, “Yes?”

The angel said, “Don’t kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you do respect and obey God. I see that you are ready to kill your son, your only son, for me.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time.

The angel said, “You were ready to kill your only son for me. Since you did this for me, I make you this promise: I, the Lord, promise that

The Lord, the God of heaven, brought me from my homeland to this place. That place was the home of my father and the home of my family, but he promised that this new land would belong to my family. May he send his angel before you so that you can choose a wife for my son.

But my master said to me, ‘I serve the Lord, and he will send his angel with you and help you. You will find a wife for my son among my people there.

Jacob had a dream. He dreamed there was a ladder that was on the ground and reached up into heaven. He saw the angels of God going up and down the ladder.

The angel of God spoke to me in that dream. The angel said, ‘Jacob!’ “I answered, ‘Yes!’

“The angel said, ‘Look, only the striped and spotted goats are mating. I am causing this to happen. I have seen all the wrong things Laban has been doing to you. I am doing this so that you can have all the new baby goats.

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

Jacob also left that place. While he was traveling, he saw God’s angels.

He was the Angel who saved me from all my troubles. And I pray that he will bless these boys. Now they will have my name and the name of our ancestors, Abraham and Isaac. I pray that they will grow to become great families and nations on earth.”

On that mountain, Moses saw the angel of the Lord in a burning bush. Moses saw a bush that was burning without being destroyed.

The Lord Defeats the Egyptian Army

Then the angel of God moved to the back of the people. (The angel was usually in front of the people, leading them.) So the tall cloud moved from in front of the people and went to the back of the people.

God Will Help Israel Take Their Land

“I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to lead you to the place that I have prepared for you.

Obey the angel and follow him. Be careful in his presence, and don’t rebel against him. The angel will not forgive the wrong things you do to him. He has my power in him.