^25:17Ishmael lived a total of¹⁷ 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors.¹⁸^25:18His descendants¹⁹ settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next²⁰ to Egypt all the way²¹ to Asshur.²² They settled²³ away from all their relatives.²⁴

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Footnotes

17 Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
18 Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
19 Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
21 Heb “as you go.”
22 The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
23 Heb “he fell.”
24 Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

(These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

This is the length of Ishmael’s life: 137 years. He took his last breath and died, and was gathered to his people. And they settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt as you go toward Asshur. He stayed near all his relatives.

NLTNew Living Translation

Ishmael lived for 137 years. Then he breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death. Ishmael’s descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. And he passed away and died, and was gathered to his people.They settled from Havilah to Shur, which was opposite Egypt, going toward Assyria; he settled opposite all his brothers.

KJV 1900King James Version

And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

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