Chapter 16

Sarai and Hagar

1 Now aSarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had ban Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. aPlease go in to my maid; perhaps I will 1obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

3 After Abram had 1lived aten 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.

4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.

5 And Sarai said to Abram, “aMay the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your 1arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her 2sight. bMay the Lord judge between 3you and me.”

6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your 1power; do to her what is good in your 2sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and ashe fled from her presence.

7 Now athe angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to bShur.

8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, awhere have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself 1to her authority.”

10 Moreover, the aangel of the Lord said to her, “bI will greatly multiply your 1descendants so that 2they will be too many to count.”

11 The 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 1Ishmael,

Because athe Lord 2has given heed to your affliction.

12 “He will be a awild donkey of a man,

His hand will be against everyone,

And everyone’s hand will be against him;

And he will 1live 2bto the east of all his brothers.”

13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “1You are 2a God who sees”; for she said, “aHave I even 3remained alive here after seeing Him?”

14 Therefore the well was called 1Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between aKadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

16 Abram was aeighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to 1him.