Beginning
16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. And she had a maid—an Egyptian—Hagar by name.
2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has restrained me from childbearing. I urge you to go in to my maid. It may be that I shall receive a child by her.” And Abram obeyed the voice of Sarai.
3 Then Sarai, Abram’s wife (after Abram had dwelled ten years in the land of Canaan) took Hagar, her maid (the Egyptian) and gave her to her husband, Abram, for his wife.
4 And he went in to Hagar; and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she despised her mistress in her eyes.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You do me wrong. I have given my maid into your bosom; and she sees that she has conceived, and I am despised in her eyes. The LORD judge between you and me.”
6 Then Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do with her as it pleases you.” Then Sarai dealt roughly with her. Therefore, she fled from her.
7 But the Angel of the LORD found her beside a fountain, on the way to Shur.
8 And he said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, from where have you come? And where are you going?” And she said, “I have fled from my mistress, Sarai.”
9 Then, the Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hands.”
10 Again, the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will so greatly increase your seed that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”
11 Also, the Angel of the LORD said to her, “See, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name, ‘Ishmael’. For the LORD has heard your tribulation.
12 “And he shall be a wild man. His hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brothers.”
13 Then, she called the Name of the LORD Who spoke to her, “You, God, look upon me!” For she said, “Have I not also looked at the back of Him Who sees me?”
14 Therefore, the well was called, “Beer Lahai Roi”, between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bore Abram a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, “Ishmael”.
16 And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God, all sufficient. Walk before me and be upright.
2 “And I will make My Covenant between Me and you; and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying,
4 “Behold, I make My Covenant with you; and you shall be a father of many nations.
5 “Nor shall your name be called Abram anymore; but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 “Also, I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and will make nations from you. Indeed, kings shall proceed from you.
7 “Moreover, I will establish My Covenant between Me and you and your seed after you (in their generations, for an everlasting Covenant), to be God to you and to your seed after you.
8 “And I will give you the land wherein you are a stranger, to you and your seed after you, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
9 Again, God said to Abraham, “You also shall keep My Covenant, you and your seed after you, in their generations.
10 “This is My Covenant which you shall keep between Me and you and your seed after you: Let every male child among you be circumcised.
11 “That is, you shall circumcise the foreskin of your flesh; and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between Me and you.
12 “And every male child among you of eight days old shall be circumcised in your generations, as well he who is born in your house (such as he who was bought with money from any stranger; who is not of your seed).
13 “He who is born in your house, and he who was bought with your money, must be circumcised. So, My Covenant shall be in your flesh, for an everlasting Covenant.
14 “But the uncircumcised child (in whose flesh the foreskin is not circumcised), even that person shall be cut off from his people. He has broken My Covenant.”
15 Afterward, God said to Abraham, “Sarai, your wife, you shall not call ‘Sarai’; but ‘Sarah’ shall be her name.
16 “And I will bless her and will also give you a son by her. Indeed, I will bless her; and she shall be the mother of nations. Kings of people shall come from her.”
17 Then, Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to him who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear?”
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live in Your sight.”
19 Then God said, “Sarah, your wife, shall indeed bear you a son. And you shall call his name ‘Isaac’; and I will establish My Covenant with him and with his seed after him, for an everlasting Covenant.
20 “And concerning Ishmael, I have heard you. Lo, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes; and I will make a great nation from him.
21 “But I will establish My Covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you next year at this season.”
22 And he ceased talking with him; and God went up from Abraham.
23 Then, Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all who were born in his house, and all that was bought with his money (that is, every male child among the men of Abraham’s house) and he circumcised the foreskin of their flesh on that same day, as God had commanded him.
24 And Abraham himself was ninety-nine years old when the foreskin of his flesh was circumcised.
25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when the foreskin of his flesh was circumcised.
26 Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised the same day.
27 And all the men of his house (born in his house and bought from a stranger, with money) were circumcised with him.
18 Again the LORD appeared to him on the plain of Mamre, as he sat in his tent door in the heat of the day.
2 And he lifted up his eyes and looked. And lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself to the ground.
3 And he said, “Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, please do not go from Your servant.
4 “Please let a little water be brought; and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 “And I will bring a morsel of bread, so that you may comfort your hearts. Afterward, you shall go your ways. For therefore have you come to your servant.” And they said, “Do even as you have said.”
6 Then Abraham went quickly into the tent, to Sarah, and said, “Make ready at once three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes upon the hearth.”
7 And Abraham ran to the beasts and took a tender and good calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to make it ready.
8 And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set them before them, and stood by them under the tree. And they ate.
9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” And he answered, “Behold, in the tent.”
10 And he said, “I will certainly come again to you according to the time of life. And lo, Sarah, your wife, shall have a son.” And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and stricken in age. And Sarah was past child-bearing years.
12 Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my lord also, shall I have pleasure?”
13 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I, who am old, surely bear a child?’
14 “Shall anything be hard to the LORD? At the time appointed I will return to you—according to the time of life—and Sarah shall have a son.”
15 But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh.” For she was afraid. And he said, “It is not so. For you did laugh.”
16 Afterward, the men rose up from there and looked toward Sodom. And Abraham went with them to send them on their way.
17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do,
18 “seeing that Abraham shall indeed be a great and a mighty nation, and all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed in him?
19 “For I know him, that he will command his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD: to do righteousness and judgment. So that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken to him.”
20 Then the LORD said, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is exceedingly grievous,
21 “I will go down now and see whether they have done entirely according to that cry which has come to Me. And if not, I will know.”
22 And the men turned from there and went toward Sodom. But Abraham still stood before the LORD.
23 Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 “If there are fifty righteous within the city, will you destroy (and not spare the place) because of the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 “Be it far from You from doing this thing—to slay the righteous with the wicked—and that the righteous should be even as the wicked. Be it far from You! Shall not the Judge of all the world do right?”
26 And the LORD answered, “If I shall find fifty righteous within the city of Sodom, then will I spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Behold now, I have begun to speak to my Lord; and I am but dust and ashes.
28 “If there shall be five less than fifty righteous, will You destroy all the city for five?” And He said, “If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again, and said, “What if there shall be found forty there?” Then He answered, “I will not do it for forty’s sake.”
30 Again he said, “Do not let my Lord now be angry at what I speak. What if thirty are found there?” Then He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Moreover he said, “Behold now, I have begun to speak to my Lord. What if twenty are found there?” And He answered, “I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.”
32 Then he said, “Do not let my Lord now be angry, and I will speak but once more. What if ten are found there?” And He answered, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”
33 And the LORD went His way when he had finished communing with Abraham. And Abraham returned to his place.
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