LEB GEN Chapter 16

Sarai and Hagar

16 Now[fn] Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children. And she had a female Egyptian servant, and her name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Look, please, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my servant; perhaps ⌊I will have children by her⌋.”[fn] And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 Then[fn] Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, her Egyptian servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as his wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she[fn] saw that she had conceived, then her mistress grew small in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “may my harm be upon you. ⌊I had my servant sleep with you⌋,[fn] and when she saw that she had conceived, ⌊she no longer respected me⌋.[fn] May Yahweh judge between me and you!” 6 And Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your servant is ⌊under your authority⌋.[fn] Do to her that which is good in your eyes.” And Sarai mistreated her, and she[fn] fled from her presence.

Hagar and the Angel of Yahweh

7 And the angel of Yahweh found her at a spring of water in the wilderness, at the spring by the road of Shur. 8 And he said to Hagar, the servant of Sarai, “⌊From where⌋[fn] have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress.” 9 Then[fn] the angel of Yahweh said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under ⌊her authority⌋.”[fn] 10 And the angel of Yahweh said to her, “⌊I will greatly multiply⌋[fn] your offspring, so that they cannot be counted for their abundance.” 11 And the angel of Yahweh said to her:

• “Behold, you are pregnant
  • and shall have a son.
• And you shall call his name Ishmael,
  • for Yahweh has listened to your suffering.
• 12 And he shall be a wild donkey of a man,
  • his hand will be against everyone,
  • and the hand of everyone will be against him,
• and he will live in hostility with all his brothers .”[fn]

13 So[fn] she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are El-Roi,”[fn] for she said, “Here I have seen after he who sees me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar had a child for Abram, a son. And Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore to him, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.