A Baby for Sarah

21 The Lord ·cared for [visited] Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised. ² Sarah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would. ³ Abraham named his son Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to. ⁴ He circumcised [17:10] Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded.

⁵ Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. ⁶ And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh [^Cthe name Isaac is related to a Hebrew word meaning “laugh”]. Everyone who hears about this will laugh ·with [or at] me. ⁷ No one thought that I would ·be able to have Abraham’s child [^Lsuckle/nurse children], but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son.”

Hagar and Ishmael Leave

⁸ Isaac grew, and when he ·became old enough to eat food [was weaned], Abraham gave a great feast [^Lon the day of his weaning]. ⁹ But Sarah saw ·Ishmael [^Lthe son of Hagar the Egyptian] ·making fun of Isaac [laughing; or playing]. ¹⁰ So Sarah said to Abraham, “·Throw [Drive] out this slave woman and her son. Her son should not inherit anything; my son Isaac should receive it all [Gal. 4:21—5:1].”

¹¹ This ·troubled [distressed; upset] Abraham very much because Ishmael was also his son. ¹² But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be ·troubled [distressed; upset] about the boy and the slave woman. Do ·whatever [all] Sarah tells you. ·The descendants I promised you will be from [^LThe seed will be named for you through] Isaac. ¹³ I will also make the ·descendants of Ishmael [^Lthe son of your slave woman] into a great nation because he is your ·son [^Lseed], too.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham [^Lgot up and] took some food and a ·leather bag full [skin] of water. He gave them to Hagar and sent her away. Carrying these things and her son [^Lon her shoulder], Hagar went and wandered [^Cthe verb may imply moving aimlessly and without hope] in the ·desert [wilderness] of Beersheba [^Can area in the northern part of the Negev, southern Canaan].

¹⁵ Later, when all the water was ·gone [finished] from the ·bag [skin], Hagar put her son under a bush. ¹⁶ Then she went a good way off, the distance of a bowshot, and sat down across from him. She thought, “My son will die, and I cannot watch this happen.” She sat there across from him and began to cry.

¹⁷ God heard the ·boy crying [^Lsound/voice of the boy], and God’s ·angel [messenger; 16:7] called to Hagar from heaven. He said, “What is wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid! God has heard the ·boy crying [^Lthe sound/voice of the boy] there. ¹⁸ ·Help [Get up and lift] him up and take him by the hand. I will make ·his descendants [^Lhim] into a great nation.” [^CIshmael is considered the ancestor of the Arab people.]

¹⁹ Then God [^Lopened her eyes and] showed Hagar a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her ·bag [skin] with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up. Ishmael lived in the ·desert [wilderness] and became an archer. ²¹ He lived in the Desert of Paran [^Ca region in the eastern Sinai peninsula], and his mother found a wife for him in Egypt [^CHagar’s original homeland].

Abraham’s Bargain with Abimelech

²² ·Then [At that time] Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. ²³ So ·make a promise to me here before [swear to me by] God that you will ·be fair [^Lnot deal falsely] with me and my children and my descendants. Be ·kind [loyal] to me and to this land where you have lived as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien]—as ·kind [loyal] as I have been to you.”

²⁴ And Abraham said, “I ·promise [swear].” ²⁵ Then Abraham ·complained to [reproved; reproached] Abimelech about Abimelech’s servants who had seized a well of water.

²⁶ But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me [^Land I have not heard] about this before today.”

²⁷ Then Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, and they made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty]. ²⁸ Abraham also put seven female lambs ·in front of Abimelech [^Lapart by themselves].

²⁹ Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why did you put these seven female lambs by themselves?”

³⁰ Abraham answered, “Accept these lambs from ·me [^Lmy hand] to ·prove that you believe [verify/witness that] I dug this well.”

³¹ So that place was called Beersheba [21:14; ^Cmeaning either “well of seven” or “well of promise”] because they ·made a promise to each other [swore an oath] there.

³² After Abraham and Abimelech ·made the agreement [^Lcut a covenant/treaty] at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines [^Ca region on the southern Mediterranean coast of Canaan].

³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and prayed to the Lord, the ·God who lives forever [eternal God]. ³⁴ And Abraham lived as a ·stranger [wanderer; sojourner; resident alien] in the land of the Philistines for ·a long time [^Lmany days].