Genesis 16:1–10

HAGAR AND ISHMAEL

16Abram’s wife, Sarai, had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar. ²Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.^{G 3}So Abram’s wife, Sarai, took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years. ⁴He slept with^A Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she saw that she was pregnant, her mistress became contemptible to her. ⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering!^B I put my slave in your arms,^C and when she saw that she was pregnant, I became contemptible to her. May the Lord judge between me and you.”^s

⁶Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your power; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.

⁷The angel of the Lord^t found her by a spring in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. ⁸He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”

She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.”

⁹The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority.” ¹⁰The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring,^u and they will be too many to count.”