Genesis 16

Modern

Literal

Hagar and Ishmael

¹Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.

¹And Sarai the wife of Abram has not borne to him, and she had a maidservant, an Egyptianess, and her name was Hagar.

²So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.”

And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

²And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, YHWH has restrained me from bearing children. Go in, please, to my maidservant; perhaps I shall be built up from her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

³So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

³And Sarai, wife of Abram, took Hagar the Egyptianess, her maidservant, after ten years of Abram dwelling in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram, her husband, for a wife.

⁴And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.^a

⁴And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And she saw that she had conceived, and her mistress became despised in her eyes.

⁵Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

⁵And Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you. I gave my maidservant into your bosom, and she saw that she had conceived, and I became despised in her eyes. May YHWH judge between me and between you.”

⁶“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.

⁶And Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed, your maidservant is in your hand. Do to her what is good in your eyes.” And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her presence.

⁷Now the angel^a of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.

⁷And the angel of YHWH found her by the spring of waters in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

⁸“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.

⁸And He said, “Hagar, maidservant of Sarai, from where is this that you have come, and where are you going?” And she said, “From the presence of Sarai my mistress I am fleeing.”

⁹So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”

⁹And the angel of YHWH said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand.”

¹⁰Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”

¹⁰And the angel of YHWH said to her, “I will greatly multiply your seed, and it shall not be counted for multitude.”

¹¹The angel of the LORD proceeded:

“Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son.

And you shall name him Ishmael,^a

for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.

¹¹And the angel of YHWH said to her, “Behold, you are conceiving, and you shall bear a son. And you shall call his name Ishmael, for YHWH has listened to your affliction.

¹²He will be a wild donkey of a man,

and his hand will be against everyone,

and everyone’s hand against him;

he will live in hostility

toward all his brothers.”

¹²And He shall be a wild donkey of a man; His hand against everyone, and the hand of everyone against him, and over against the face of all his brothers he shall dwell.”

¹³So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,”^a for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”

¹³And she called the name of YHWH who spoke to her: “You are El-Roi,” for she said, “Even here I have seen after Him who sees me?”

¹⁴Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi.^a It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁴Upon thus the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and between Bered.

¹⁵And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.

¹⁵And Hagar bore to Abram a son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar had borne, Ishmael.

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

¹⁶And Abram was a son of eighty years and six years when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.