Genesis 21

Isaac Is Born

11Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had 2promised. 23So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at 4the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, 5Isaac. 4Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was 6eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5Now Abraham was 7one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Sarah said, “God has made 8laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh 9with me.” 7And she said, “10Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

8The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

9Now Sarah saw 11the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, 1213mocking. 10Therefore she said to Abraham, “14Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son 15Isaac.” 1116The matter 17distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “18Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for 19through Isaac 20your descendants shall be named. 13And of 21the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your 22descendant.” 14So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a 23skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15When the water in the skin was used up, she 24left the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me 25see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and 26lifted up her voice and wept. 17God 27heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? 28Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by 29the hand, 30for I will make a great nation of him.” 19Then God 31opened her eyes and she saw 32a well of water; and she went and filled the 33skin with water and gave the lad a drink.

2034God was with the lad, and he grew; and he 35lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 2136He 37lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Covenant with Abimelech

22Now it came about at that time that 38Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “39God is with you in all that you do; 23now therefore, 40swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.” 24Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25But Abraham 41complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech 42had seized. 26And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it 43until today.”

27Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and 44the two of them made a covenant. 28Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” 30He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a 45witness to me, that I dug this well.” 31Therefore he called that place 46Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. 32So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there 47he called on the name of the Lord, the 48Everlasting God. 34And Abraham sojourned 49in the land of the Philistines for many days.