Genesis 21

The Birth of Isaac

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did with Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 Then Sarah said, God has made me to laugh so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? For I have born him a son in his old age.

God Protects Hagar and Ishmael

8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great banquet the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Therefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 Then God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah has said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman I will make a nation because he is thy seed. 14 So Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child and sent her away; and she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under a tree. 16 And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off as it were a bowshot; for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him and lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad, and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, What ails thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thy hand, for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the lad, and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

A Treaty with Abimelech

22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the prince of his host, spoke unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest. 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son; but according to the mercy that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me and to the land in which thou hast sojourned. 24 And Abraham said, I will swear.

25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s slaves had violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech said, I know not who has done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither have I heard of it, but today. 27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? 30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand that they may be a witness unto me that I have dug this well. 31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they swore, both of them. 32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba; then Abimelech rose up and Phichol, the prince of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the eternal God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.

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