Genesis 16:1–18:15
16 Nowa Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian female slave, and her name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, please, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my servant; perhaps ⌊I will have children by her⌋.”b And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 Thenc Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, her Egyptian female slave, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as his wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when shed saw that she had conceived, then her mistress grew small in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “may my harm be upon you. ⌊I had my slave sleep with you⌋,e and when she saw that she had conceived, ⌊she no longer respected me⌋.f May Yahweh judge between me and you!” 6 And Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave is ⌊under your authority⌋.g Do to her that which is good in your eyes.” And Sarai mistreated her, and sheh fled from her presence.
7 And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur. 8 And he said to Hagar, the female slave of Sarai, “⌊From where⌋i have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.” 9 Thenj the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under ⌊her authority⌋.”k 10 And the angel of Yahweh said to her, “⌊I will greatly multiply⌋l your offspring, so that they cannot be counted for their abundance.” 11 And the angel of Yahweh said to her:
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall have a son.
And you shall call his name Ishmael,
for Yahweh has listened to your suffering.
12 And he shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand will be against everyone,
and the hand of everyone will be against him,
and he will live ⌊in hostility with all his brothers⌋.”m
13 Son she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi,”o for she said, “Here I have seen after he who sees me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar had a child for Abram, a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was ⌊eighty-six years old⌋p when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Abram and Circumcision, the Sign of the Covenant
17 Whena Abram was ⌊ninety-nine years old⌋b Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, “I am El-Shaddai;c walk before me and be blameless 2 so thatd I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you ⌊exceedingly⌋.”e 3 Then Abram fell upon his face and God spoke with him, saying, 4 “As for me, behold, my covenant shall be with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 And I will make you ⌊exceedingly⌋f fruitful. I will make you a nation, and kings shall go out from you. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you ⌊the land in which you are living as an alien⌋,g all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will be to them as God.”
9 And God said to Abraham, “Now as for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you, throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant which you shall keep, between me and you, and also withh your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 And ⌊at eight days of age⌋i you shall yourselves circumcise every male belonging to your generations and ⌊the servant born in your house and the one bought from any foreigner⌋j who is not from your offspring. 13 ⌊You must certainly circumcise⌋k ⌊the servant born in your house and the one bought with your money⌋.l And my covenant shall be with your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 And as for any uncircumcised male who has not circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from hism people. He has broken my covenant. 15 And God said to Abraham, “as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, for Sarah shall be her name. 16 And I will bless her; moreover, I give to you from her a son. And I will bless her, and ⌊she shall give rise to nations⌋.n Kings of peoples shall comeo from her.” 17 And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, “⌊Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old⌋,p or ⌊can Sarah bear a child at ninety⌋?”q 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 And God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I will bless him and I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him ⌊exceedingly⌋.r He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this appointed time next year.” 22 Whens he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son and all who were born of his house, and all those acquired by his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on the same day that God spoke with him. 24 Abraham was ⌊ninety-nine years old⌋t when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was ⌊thirteen years old⌋u when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin. 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. 27 And all the men of his house, ⌊those born in the house, and those acquired by money from a foreigner⌋,v were circumcised with him.
Yahweh Appears to Abraham as a Man
18 And Yahweh appeared to hima by the oaks of Mamre. And he was sitting in the doorway of the tent at the heat of the day. 2 And he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing nearb him. And he saw them and ran from the doorway of the tent to meet them. And he bowed down to the ground. 3 And he said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your eyes do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest under the tree. 5 And let me bring a piece of bread, thenc refresh ⌊yourselves⌋.d Afterward you can pass on, ⌊once⌋e you have passed by with your servant.” Then they said, “Do so as you have said.” 6 Thenf Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and he said, “Quickly—make three seahs of fine flour for kneading and make bread cakes!” 7 And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a ⌊calf⌋,g tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk, and the calf which he prepared, and set it before them. And he was standing by them under the tree whileh they ate. 9 And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “Here, in the tent.” 10 And hei said, “I will certainly return to you ⌊in the spring⌋,j and look, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the doorway of the tent, and which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, ⌊advanced in age⌋;k ⌊the way of women⌋l had ceased to be for Sarah. 12 Som Sarah laughed to herself saying, “After I am worn out and my husband is old, shall this pleasure be to me?” 13 Then Yahweh said to Abraham, “What is this that Sarah laughed, saying, ‘Is it indeed true that I will bear a child, now that I have grown old?’ 14 Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you ⌊in the spring⌋n and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. Heo said, “No, but you did laugh.”