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The Birth of Ishmael
16 Now Sarai,[a] Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children,[b] but she had an Egyptian servant[c] named Hagar.[d] 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since[e] the Lord has prevented me from having children, please sleep with[f] my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.”[g] Abram did what[h] Sarai told him.
3 So after Abram had lived[i] in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant,[j] to her husband to be his wife.[k] 4 He slept with[l] Hagar, and she became pregnant.[m] Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.[n] 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me![o] I gave my servant into your embrace,[p] but when she realized[q] that she was pregnant, she despised me.[r] May the Lord judge between you and me!”[s]
6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your[t] servant is under your authority,[u] do to her whatever you think best.”[v] Then Sarai treated Hagar[w] harshly,[x] so she ran away from Sarai.[y]
7 The angel of the Lord[z] found Hagar near a spring of water in the wilderness—the spring that is along the road to Shur.[aa] 8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from[ab] my mistress, Sarai.”
9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit[ac] to her authority. 10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the angel of the Lord added,[ad] “so that they will be too numerous to count.”[ae] 11 Then the angel of the Lord said to her,
“You are now[af] pregnant
and are about to give birth[ag] to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael,[ah]
for the Lord has heard your painful groans.[ai]
12 He will be a wild donkey[aj] of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone,[ak]
and everyone will be hostile to him.[al]
He will live away from[am] his brothers.”
13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,”[an] for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!”[ao] 14 That is why the well was called[ap] Beer Lahai Roi.[aq] (It is located[ar] between Kadesh and Bered.)
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael.[as] 16 (Now[at] Abram was 86 years old[au] when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)[av]
The Sign of the Covenant
17 When Abram was 99 years old,[aw] the Lord appeared to him and said,[ax] “I am the Sovereign God.[ay] Walk[az] before me[ba] and be blameless.[bb] 2 Then I will confirm my covenant[bc] between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.”[bd]
3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground,[be] and God said to him,[bf] 4 “As for me,[bg] this[bh] is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer will your name be[bi] Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham[bj] because I will make you[bk] the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you[bl] extremely[bm] fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.[bn] 7 I will confirm[bo] my covenant as a perpetual[bp] covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you.[bq] 8 I will give the whole land of Canaan—the land where you are now residing[br]—to you and your descendants after you as a permanent[bs] possession. I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep[bt] the covenantal requirement[bu] I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep:[bv] Every male among you must be circumcised.[bw] 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder[bx] of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old[by] must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 13 They must indeed be circumcised,[bz] whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant[ca] will be visible in your flesh as a permanent[cb] reminder. 14 Any uncircumcised male[cc] who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off[cd] from his people—he has failed to carry out my requirement.”[ce]
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai;[cf] Sarah[cg] will be her name. 16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations.[ch] Kings of countries[ci] will come from her!”
17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed[cj] as he said to himself,[ck] “Can[cl] a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old?[cm] Can Sarah[cn] bear a child at the age of ninety?”[co] 18 Abraham said to God, “O that[cp] Ishmael might live before you!”[cq]
19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.[cr] I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual[cs] covenant for his descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you.[ct] I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants.[cu] He will become the father of twelve princes;[cv] I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.[cw]
23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money)[cx] and circumcised them[cy] on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 24 Now Abraham was 99 years old[cz] when he was circumcised;[da] 25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old[db] when he was circumcised. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Three Special Visitors
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham[dc] by the oaks[dd] of Mamre while[de] he was sitting at the entrance[df] to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 2 Abraham[dg] looked up[dh] and saw[di] three men standing across from[dj] him. When he saw them[dk] he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low[dl] to the ground.[dm]
3 He said, “My lord,[dn] if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant.[do] 4 Let a little water be brought so that[dp] you may all[dq] wash your feet and rest under the tree. 5 And let me get[dr] a bit of food[ds] so that you may refresh yourselves[dt] since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.”[du] “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take[dv] three measures[dw] of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.”[dx] 7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant,[dy] who quickly prepared it.[dz] 8 Abraham[ea] then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food[eb] before them. They ate while[ec] he was standing near them under a tree.
9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There,[ed] in the tent.” 10 One of them[ee] said, “I will surely return[ef] to you when the season comes round again,[eg] and your wife Sarah will have a son!”[eh] (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.[ei] 11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years;[ej] Sarah had long since passed menopause.)[ek] 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking,[el] “After I am worn out will I have pleasure,[em] especially when my husband is old too?”[en]
13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why[eo] did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really[ep] have a child when I am old?’ 14 Is anything impossible[eq] for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”[er] 15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.”[es]
Pure-hearted Giving
6 “Be[a] careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people.[b] Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving,[c] do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues[d] and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth,[e] they have their reward! 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.[f]
Private Prayer
5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues[g] and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward! 6 But whenever you pray, go into your inner room,[h] close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.[i] 7 When[j] you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do[k] not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 So pray this way:[l]
Our Father[m] in heaven, may your name be honored,[n]
10 may your kingdom come,[o]
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread,[p]
12 and forgive us our debts,[q] as we ourselves[r] have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,[s] but deliver us from the evil one.[t]
14 “For if you forgive others[u] their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
Proper Fasting
16 “When[v] you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive[w] so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth,[x] they have their reward! 17 When[y] you fast, anoint your head[z] and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Lasting Treasure
19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth[aa] and devouring insect[ab] destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and devouring insect do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your[ac] treasure[ad] is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy,[ae] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is diseased,[af] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate[ag] the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise[ah] the other. You cannot serve God and money.[ai]
Psalm 7[a]
A musical composition[b] by David, which he sang to the Lord concerning[c] a Benjaminite named Cush.[d]
7 O Lord my God, in you I have taken shelter.[e]
Deliver me from all who chase me. Rescue me!
2 Otherwise they will rip[f] me[g] to shreds like a lion;
they will tear me to bits and no one will be able to rescue me.[h]
3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say,[i]
or am guilty of unjust actions,[j]
4 or have wronged my ally,[k]
or helped his lawless enemy,[l]
5 may an enemy relentlessly chase[m] me[n] and catch me;[o]
may he trample me to death[p]
and leave me lying dishonored in the dust.[q] (Selah)
6 Stand up angrily,[r] Lord.
Rise up with raging fury against my enemies.[s]
Wake up for my sake, and execute the judgment you have decreed for them.[t]
7 The countries are assembled all around you;[u]
take once more your rightful place over them.[v]
8 The Lord judges the nations.[w]
Vindicate me, Lord, because I am innocent,[x]
because I am blameless,[y] O Exalted One.[z]
9 May the evil deeds of the wicked[aa] come to an end.[ab]
But make the innocent[ac] secure,[ad]
O righteous God,
you who examine[ae] inner thoughts and motives.[af]
10 The Exalted God is my shield,[ag]
the one who delivers the morally upright.[ah]
11 God is a just judge;
he is angry throughout the day.[ai]
12 If a person[aj] does not repent, God will wield his sword.[ak]
He has prepared to shoot his bow.[al]
13 He has prepared deadly weapons to use against him;[am]
he gets ready to shoot flaming arrows.[an]
14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,
who conceives destructive plans,
and gives birth to harmful lies—
15 he digs a pit[ao]
and then falls into the hole he has made.[ap]
16 He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans[aq]—
and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.[ar]
17 I will thank the Lord for[as] his justice;
I will sing praises to the Lord Most High![at]
Benefits of Seeking Wisdom[a]
2 My child,[b] if[c] you receive my words,
and store up[d] my commands inside yourself,[e]
2 by making[f] your ear[g] attentive to wisdom,
and[h] by turning[i] your heart[j] to understanding,
3 indeed, if[k] you call out for discernment[l]—
shout loudly[m] for understanding—
4 if[n] you seek[o] it like silver,[p]
and search for it[q] like hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand[r] how to fear the Lord,[s]
and you will discover[t] knowledge[u] about God.[v]
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