Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing. Please go in to my servant. It may be that I will build a family through her.” Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
3 Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When Hagar saw that she had conceived, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Sarai said to Abram, “This wrong is your fault. I put my servant into your intimate embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she despised me. May the Lord judge between me and you.”
6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Your maid is in your hands. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt harshly with her, and Hagar ran from her presence.
7 The angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where did you come from? Where are you going?”
She said, “I am running from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”
9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hands.” 10 The angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, so that they will not be countable because of their multitude.”
11 The angel of the Lord said to her,
“You are with child and will bear a son.
You shall call him Ishmael,
because the Lord has heard your affliction.
12 He will be like a wild donkey among men.
His hand will be against every man,
and every man’s hand against him.
He will live opposed to all of his brothers.”
13 She called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I stayed alive after seeing him?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram gave the name, Ishmael, to his son, whom Hagar bore. 16 Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.