Genesis 16

Sarai and Hagar

1Now 1Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had 2an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. 3Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will 4obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3After Abram had 5lived 6ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 5And Sarai said to Abram, “7May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your 8arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her 9sight. 10May the Lord judge between 11you and me.” 6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your 12power; do to her what is good in your 13sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and 14she fled from her presence.

7Now 15the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to 16Shur. 8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, 17where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself 18to her authority.” 10Moreover, the 19angel of the Lord said to her, “20I will greatly multiply your 21descendants so that 22they will be too many to count.” 11The angel of the Lord said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name 23Ishmael, Because 24the Lord 25has given heed to your affliction.12He will be a 26wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will 27live 2829to the east of all his brothers.” 13Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “30You are 31a God who sees”; for she said, “32Have I even 33remained alive here after seeing Him?” 14Therefore the well was called 34Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between 35Kadesh and Bered.

15So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16Abram was 36eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to 37him.