Old/New Testament

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children. She had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar. ² Sarai said to Abram, “Look, the Lord has not allowed me to have children. So have physical relations with my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can have my own family through her.”

Abram did what Sarai said. ³ This was after Abram lived ten years in Canaan. And Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)

⁴ Abram had physical relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai badly. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is your fault. I gave my slave girl to you. And when she became pregnant, she began to treat me badly. Let the Lord decide who is right—you or me.”

⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “You are Hagar’s mistress. Do anything you want to her.” Then Sarai was hard on Hagar, and Hagar ran away.

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the desert. The spring was by the road to Shur. ⁸ The angel said, “Hagar, you are Sarai’s slave girl. Where have you come from? Where are you going?”

Hagar answered, “I am running from my mistress Sarai.”

⁹ The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go home to your mistress and obey her.” ¹⁰ The angel of the Lord also said, “I will give you so many descendants they cannot be counted.”

¹¹ The angel also said to her,

¹³ The slave girl gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her. She said to him, “You are ‘God who sees me.’” This is because she said to herself, “Have I really seen God who sees me?” ¹⁴ So the well there was called Beer Lahai Roi.^[b] It is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram. And Abram named him Ishmael. ¹⁶ Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

Proof of the Agreement

17 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. The Lord said, “I am God All-Powerful. Obey me and do what is right. ² I will make an agreement between us. I will make you the ancestor of many people.”

³ Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him, ⁴ “I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations. ⁵ I am changing your name from Abram^[c] to Abraham.^[d] This is because I am making you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you. Kings will come from you. ⁷ And I will make an agreement between me and you and all your descendants from now on: I will be your God and the God of all your descendants. ⁸ You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger. But I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants.”

⁹ Then God said to Abraham, “You and your descendants must keep this agreement from now on. ¹⁰ This is my agreement with you and all your descendants: Every male among you must be circumcised. You must obey this agreement. ¹¹ Cut away the foreskin to show that you follow the agreement between me and you. ¹² From now on when a baby boy is eight days old, you will circumcise him. This includes any boy born among your people or any who is your slave. (He would not be one of your descendants.) ¹³ So circumcise every baby boy. Circumcise him whether he is born in your family or bought as a slave. Your bodies will be marked. This will show that you are part of my agreement that lasts forever. ¹⁴ Any male who is not circumcised will be separated from his people. He has broken my agreement.”

Isaac—the Promised Son

¹⁵ God said to Abraham, “I will change the name of Sarai,^[e] your wife. Her new name will be Sarah.^{[f] 16} I will bless her. I will give her a son, and you will be the father. She will be the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, “Can a man have a child when he is 100 years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is 90?” ¹⁸ Then Abraham said to God, “Please let Ishmael be the son you promised.”

¹⁹ God said, “No. Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac.^[g] I will make my agreement with him. It will be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.

²⁰ “You asked me about Ishmael, and I heard you. I will bless him. I will give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow very greatly. He will be the father of 12 great leaders. I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But I will make my agreement with Isaac. He is the son whom Sarah will have at this same time next year.” ²² After God finished talking with Abraham, God rose and left him.

²³ Then Abraham gathered Ishmael and all the males born in his camp. He also gathered the slaves he had bought. So that day Abraham circumcised every man and boy in his camp. This was what God had told him to do. ²⁴ Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised. ²⁵ And Ishmael, his son, was 13 years old when he was circumcised. ²⁶ Abraham and his son were circumcised on that same day. ²⁷ Also on that day all the men in Abraham’s camp were circumcised. This included all those born in his camp and all the slaves he had bought from other nations.

Jesus Teaches About Adultery

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not be guilty of adultery.’^{[a] 28} But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery with her in his mind. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, then take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰ If your right hand causes you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Jesus Teaches About Divorce

³¹ “It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written divorce paper.’^{[b] 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife is causing his wife to be guilty of adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if she has been unfaithful to him. And anyone who marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.

Make Promises Carefully

³³ “You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘When you make a promise, don’t break your promise. Keep the promises that you make to the Lord.’^{[c] 34} But I tell you, never make an oath. Don’t make an oath using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne. ³⁵ Don’t make an oath using the name of the earth, because the earth belongs to God. Don’t make an oath using the name of Jerusalem, because that is the city of the great King. ³⁶ And don’t even say that your own head is proof that you will keep your oath. You cannot make one hair on your head become white or black. ³⁷ Say only ‘yes’ if you mean ‘yes,’ and say only ‘no’ if you mean ‘no.’ If you must say more than ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ it is from the Evil One.

Don’t Fight Back

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’^{[d] 39} But I tell you, don’t stand up against an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, then turn and let him slap the other cheek too. ⁴⁰ If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, then let him have your coat too. ⁴¹ If a soldier forces you to go with him one mile, then go with him two miles. ⁴² If a person asks you for something, then give it to him. Don’t refuse to give to a person who wants to borrow from you.

Love All People

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor^[e] and hate your enemies.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.^{[f] 45} If you do this, then you will be true sons of your Father in heaven. Your Father causes the sun to rise on good people and on bad people. Your Father sends rain to those who do good and to those who do wrong. ⁴⁶ If you love only the people who love you, then you will get no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. ⁴⁷ And if you are nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other people. Even people without God are nice to their friends. ⁴⁸ So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.