Ishmael Is Born

16 Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar. ² Sarai said to Abram, “Look, the Lord has ·not allowed me to have [^Lprevented/restrained me from having] children, so ·have sexual relations with [^Lgo to] my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can ·have my own family [reproduce; have a child; ^Lbuild] through her [^Ctaking a second wife or concubine was common for a childless couple at the time].”

Abram did what Sarai said. ³ It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram as a ·wife [or concubine]. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)

⁴ Abram ·had sexual relations with [^Lwent in to] Hagar, and she ·became pregnant [conceived]. When Hagar learned she ·was pregnant [conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] her mistress Sarai ·badly [with contempt]. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “·This is your fault [^LMay the wrong/violence done to me be on you]. I gave my slave girl ·to you [into your embrace; ^Linto your lap], and when she ·became pregnant [^Lconceived], she began to ·treat [look on] me ·badly [with contempt]. Let the Lord ·decide who is right—[judge between] you or me.”

⁶ But Abram said to Sarai, “·You are Hagar’s mistress [^LYour slave girl is in your hand/power]. Do ·anything you want [^Lwhat is good in your eyes] to her.” Then Sarai ·was hard on [afflicted; abused] Hagar, and Hagar ·ran away [^Lfled from her presence].

⁷ The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [^Cthe angel of the Lord was either a representative of the Lord or the Lord himself; v. 13; Judg. 6:11, 14] found Hagar beside a spring of water in the ·desert [wilderness], by the road to Shur [^Clikely a location in southern Canaan; 20:1; 25:18; Ex. 15:22; 1 Sam. 15:7]. ⁸ ·The angel [^LHe] said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave girl, where have you come from? Where are you going?”

Hagar answered, “I am ·running away [fleeing] from my mistress Sarai.”

⁹ The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [16:7] said to her, “Go home to your mistress and ·obey [submit to] her.” ¹⁰ The angel of the Lord also said, “I will ·give you so many descendants [^Lgreatly multiply your seed so that] they cannot be counted.”

¹¹ The ·angel [messenger] added,

¹³ The slave girl gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are ‘·God who sees me [or God of seeing; Hebrew El-Roi]’ ” because she said to herself, “Have I really seen God who sees me?” ¹⁴ So the well there, between Kadesh [^Calso known as Kadesh Barnea in northeast Sinai] and Bered [^Clocation unknown], was called Beer Lahai Roi [^Cthe well of the Living One who sees me].

¹⁵ Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram, and Abram named ·him [^Lhis son which Hagar bore him] Ishmael. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.