Beginning
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.
17 5 Abram’s name is changed to confirm him in the promise. 8 The land of Canaan is the fifth time promised. 12 Circumcision instituted. 15 Sarai is named Sarah. 18 Abraham prayeth for Ishmael. 19 Isaac is promised. 23 Abraham and his house are circumcised.
1 When Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am God [n]all sufficient, (C)walk before me, and be thou [o]upright,
2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will multiply thee exceedingly.
3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 Behold, I make my covenant with thee, and thou shalt be a [p]father of many nations,
5 Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be [q]Abraham: (D)for a father of many nations have I made thee.
6 Also I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and will make nations of thee, yea, Kings shall proceed of thee.
7 Moreover, I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an (E)everlasting covenant, to be God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
8 And I will give thee and thy seed after thee the land, wherein thou art a stranger, even all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.
9 ¶ Again God said unto Abraham, Thou also shalt keep my covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 [r]This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee, (F)Let every man-child among you be circumcised:
11 That is, ye shall circumcise the [s]foreskin of your flesh, and it shall be a (G)sign of the covenant between me and you.
12 And every man-child of eight days old among you, shall be circumcised in your generations, as well he that is born in thine house, as he that is bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thine house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: so my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 But the uncircumcised [t]man-child, in whose flesh the foreskin is not circumcised, even that person shall be cut off from his people, because he hath broken my covenant.
15 ¶ Afterward God said unto Abraham, Sarai thy wife shalt thou not call Sarai, but [u]Sarah shall be her name.
16 And I will bless her, and will also give thee a son of her, yea, I will bless her, and she shall be the mother of nations: Kings also of people shall come of her.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and [v]laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him, that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah that is ninety years old, bear?
18 And Abraham said unto God, Oh, that Ishmael might live in thy sight.
19 Then God said, (H)Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an [w]everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as concerning Ishmael, I have heard thee: lo, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him [x]exceedingly: twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make a great nation of him.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee, the next (I)year at this season.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
23 ¶ Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that was bought with his money, that is, every man-child among the men of Abraham’s house, and [y]he circumcised the foreskin of their flesh in that selfsame day, as God had commanded him.
24 Abraham also himself was ninety years old and nine, 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 The selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son:
27 And all the men of his house both born in his house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him.
18 2 Abraham receiveth three Angels into his house. 10 Isaac is promised again. 12 Sarah laugheth. 18 Christ is promised to all nations. 19 Abraham taught his family to know God. 21 The destruction of Sodom is declared unto Abraham. 23 Abraham prayeth for them.
1 Again the Lord (J)appeared unto him in the [z]plain of Mamre, as he sat in his tent door about the heat of the day.
2 And he lifted up his eyes, and looked: and lo, three [aa]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, [ab]Lord, if I have now found favor in thy sight, go not, I pray thee, from thy servant.
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be brought, and [ac]wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
5 And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may comfort your hearts, afterward ye shall go your ways: for therefore are ye [ad]come to your servant. And they said, Do even as thou hast said.
6 Then Abraham made haste into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready at once three [ae]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 hasted to make it ready.
8 And he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had prepared, and set before them, and stood himself by them under the tree: and [af]they did eat.
9 ¶ Then they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he answered, Behold, she is in the tent.
10 And he said, (K)I will certainly come again unto thee according to the time of [ag]life: and lo, Sarah thy 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 it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.)
12 Therefore Sarah [ah]laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, (L)and my lord also, shall I have lust?
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah thus laugh, saying, Shall I certainly bear a child, which am old?
14 (Shall anything be [ai](M)hard to the Lord? as the time appointed will I return unto thee, even according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.)
15 But Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not: for she was afraid. And he said, [aj]It is not so: for thou laughedst.
16 ¶ Afterward, the men did rise up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17 And the [ak]Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do,
18 Seeing that Abraham shall be indeed a great and a mighty nation, and (N)all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him [al]that he will command his sons and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham, that he hath spoken unto 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 [am]go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to that [an]cry, which is come unto me: and if not, that I may know.
22 And the men turned thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23 Then Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 If there be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 Be it far from thee 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 thee. Shall not the Judge of all the world [ao]do right?
26 And the Lord answered, If I shall find in Sodom [ap]fifty righteous within the city, then will I spare all the place for their sakes.
27 Then Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have begun to speak unto my Lord, and I am [aq]but dust and ashes,
28 If there shall lack five of fifty righteous, wilt thou destroy all the city for five? And he said, If I find there five and forty, I will not destroy it.
29 And he yet spake to him 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, Let not my Lord now be angry that I speak, What if thirty be 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 unto my Lord, What if twenty be found there? And he answered, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.
32 Then he said, Let not my Lord be now angry, and I will speak but this [ar]once, What if ten be found there? And he answered, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
33 ¶ And the Lord went his way, when he had left communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned unto his place.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.