Home Master Index
←Prev   Genesis 16 as rendered by/in  Next→ 


16:1  Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
16:2  So Sarai said to Abram, "Since the LORD has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her." Abram did what Sarai told him.
16:3  So after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband to be his wife.
16:4  He had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.
16:5  Then Sarai said to Abram, "You have brought this wrong on me! I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she despised me. May the LORD judge between you and me!"
16:6  Abram said to Sarai, "Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best." Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.
16:7  The LORD's angel found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert--the spring that is along the road to Shur.
16:8  He said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She replied, "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai."
16:9  Then the LORD's angel said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.
16:10  I will greatly multiply your descendants," the LORD's angel added, "so that they will be too numerous to count."
16:11  Then the LORD's angel said to her, "You are now pregnant and are about to give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your painful groans.
16:12  He will be a wild donkey of a man. He will be hostile to everyone, and everyone will be hostile to him. He will live away from his brothers."
16:13  So Hagar named the LORD who spoke to her, "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "Here I have seen one who sees me!"
16:14  That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. (It is located between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15  So Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, whom Abram named Ishmael.
16:16  (Now Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)