Sarai and Hagar
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him anychildren,and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.
2 So Sarai said to Abram, “See here, the Lordhas prevented me from bearingchildren. I am asking you to go in to [the bed of] my maid [so that she may bear you a child]; perhaps I willobtain children by her.” And Abram listened to Saraianddid as she said.
3 After Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian [maid], and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife.
4 He went in to [the bed of] Hagar, and she conceived; and when she realized that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress [regarding Sarai as insignificant because of her infertility].
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May [the responsibility for] the wrong done to me [by the arrogant behavior of Hagar] be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, and when she realized that she had conceived, I was despisedandlooked on with disrespect. May the Lordjudge [who has done right] between you and me.”
6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your maid isentirelyin your handsandsubject to your authority; do as you please with her.” So Sarai treated her harshlyandhumiliated her, and Hagar fled from her.
7 Butthe Angel of the Lordfound her by a spring of water in the wilderness, on the road to [Egypt by way of] Shur.
8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where did you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.”
9 The Angel of the Lordsaid to her, “Go back to your mistress, and submithumbly to her authority.”
10 Then the Angel of the Lordsaid to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.”
11 The Angel of the Lordcontinued,
“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because the Lordhas heardandpaid attention to your persecution (suffering).
12 “He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man;
His handwill beagainst every man [continually fighting]
And every man’s hand against him;
And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”
13 Then she called the name of the Lordwho spoke to her, “You areGod Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive afterseeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?”
14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi (Well of the Living One Who Sees Me); it isbetween Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth,Ishmael (God hears).
16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.