Genesis 16:1–16

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai,k Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.l But she had an Egyptian slavem named Hagar;n 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.o Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”p

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaanq ten years,r Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar,s and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.t 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”u

6 “Your slave is in your hands,v” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreatedw Hagar; so she fled from her.

7 The angel of the Lordx found Hagar near a springy in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.z 8 And he said, “Hagar,a slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”b

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”c

11 The angel of the Lordd also said to her:

“You are now pregnant

and you will give birth to a son.e

You shall name himf Ishmael,a g

for the Lord has heard of your misery.h

12 He will be a wild donkeyi of a man;

his hand will be against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he will live in hostility

towardb all his brothers.j”

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,k” for she said, “I have now seenc the One who sees me.”l 14 That is why the wellm was called Beer Lahai Roid;n it is still there, between Kadesho and Bered.

15 So Hagarp bore Abram a son,q and Abram gave the name Ishmaelr to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years olds when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

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k	Ge 11:29
l	Ge 11:30 Lk 1:7 Lk 1:36 Ga 4:24–25
m	Ge 21:9 Ge 24:61 Ge 29:24 Ge 29:29 Ge 31:33 Ge 46:18
n	Ge 16:3–4 Ge 16:8 Ge 16:15 Ge 21:14 Ge 25:12
o	Ge 29:31 Ge 30:2
p	Ge 19:32 Ge 30:3–4 Ge 30:9–10
q	Ge 12:5
r	Ge 12:4
s	Ge 16:1
t	Ge 30:1 1 Sa 1:6
u	Ge 31:53 Ex 5:21 Jdg 11:27 1 Sa 24:12 1 Sa 24:15 1 Sa 26:10 1 Sa 26:23 Ps 50:6 Ps 75:7
v	Jos 9:25
w	Ge 31:50
x	Ge 16:11 Ge 21:17 Ge 22:11 Ge 22:15 Ge 24:7 Ge 24:40 Ge 31:11 Ge 48:16 Ex 3:2 Ex 14:19 Ex 23:20 Ex 23:23 Ex 32:34 Ex 33:2 Nu 22:22 Jdg 2:1 Jdg 6:11 Jdg 13:3 2 Sa 24:16 1 Ki 19:5 2 Ki 1:3 2 Ki 19:35 Ps 34:7 Zec 1:11 Ac 5:19
y	Ge 16:14 Ge 21:19
z	Ge 20:1 Ge 25:18 Ex 15:22 1 Sa 15:7 1 Sa 27:8
a	Ge 16:1
b	Ge 3:9
c	Ge 13:16
d	Ge 16:7 Ac 5:19
e	Ge 3:15
f	Ge 12:2–3 Ge 18:19 Ne 9:7 Is 44:1 Am 3:2 Mt 1:21 Lk 1:13 Lk 1:31
a	Ishmael means God hears.
g	Ge 17:19 Ge 21:3 Ge 37:25 Ge 37:28 Ge 39:1 Jdg 8:24
h	Ge 29:32 Ge 31:42 Ex 2:24 Ex 3:7 Ex 3:9 Ex 4:31 Nu 20:16 Dt 26:7 1 Sa 9:16
i	Job 6:5 Job 11:12 Job 24:5 Job 39:5 Ps 104:11 Je 2:24 Ho 8:9
b	Or live to the east / of
j	Ge 25:18
k	Ps 139:1–12
c	Or seen the back of
l	Ge 32:30 Ge 33:10 Ex 24:10 Ex 33:20 Ex 33:23 Nu 12:8 Jdg 6:22 Jdg 13:22 Is 6:5
m	Ge 16:7
d	Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.
n	Ge 24:62 Ge 25:11
o	Ge 14:7
p	Ge 16:1
q	Ge 21:9 Ga 4:22
r	Ge 17:18 Ge 25:12 Ge 28:9
s	Ge 12:4