UST GEN Chapter 21

Isaac’s Birth and Circumcision

21:1-7

21 Then Yahweh blessed Sarah just as he had said he would. Yes, he did for her exactly what he had promised to do. 2 So Sarah became pregnant and at the time God had appointed, she gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was old, just as God had promised him that she would. 3 Then Abraham named his son Isaac, the son whom Sarah had given birth to. 4 Also, when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, which was exactly what God had commanded him to do.

5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 When he was born, Sarah exclaimed, “God has made me laugh for joy! Everyone who hears about this will laugh for joy with me!” 7 She also exclaimed, “No one would have even thought of telling Abraham that I would have children. Yet I have given birth to a son for him when he is old!”

Sarah Has Abraham Send Hagar and Ishmael Away

21:8-21

8 Isaac grew as a child and reached the age when his mother stopped nursing him. When that happened, Abraham held a big feast to celebrate. 9 But during the feast Sarah noticed that Ishmael, the son of her Egyptian handmaid Hagar and Abraham, was making fun of Isaac. 10 So she was angry and told Abraham, “Get rid of that servant woman and her son! Her son must never share any part of what my son Isaac inherits from you!” 11 Abraham was very upset about that, because Ishmael was also his son and he cared about him too. 12 But God told him, “Do not be upset about the boy or your servant woman. Rather, listen to everything Sarah tells you to do, and do it, because Isaac is the one who will be the ancestor of your descendants whom I promised to you. 13 But I will also make your servant woman’s son become the ancestor of a large people group, because he is your son.”

14 Early the next morning Abraham got up, brought some food and a leather container full of water to Hagar and put them on her back. Then he sent her off with the boy, and they left and wandered around in the desert near the city of Beersheba. 15 When they had finished all the water in the container, she left her son under the shade of a bush. 16 She thought to herself, “I cannot bear to watch my son die.” So she went away from him and sat down by herself, about as far away as someone can shoot an arrow. Then she started crying loudly.

17 God also heard the boy crying, so one of his angels called to Hagar from heaven and said, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying over there and will take care of him. 18 So go help the boy to get up, and take care of him, because I Yahweh will make him become the ancestor of a large people group.” 19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a water well. So she went over to the well, filled her water container with water, and gave her son some water to drink.

20 As the boy grew up, God was with him and helped him. He lived in the Paran Desert and learned to hunt skillfully with a bow and arrows. 21 While he was there, his mother found a wife for him who was from the country of Egypt.

King Abimelech Makes a Treaty with Abraham

21:22-34

22 Meanwhile, one day King Abimelech came with his army captain Phicol to Abraham and said to him, “I have noticed that God is with you and helps you in everything that you do. 23 Now then, please vow to me here in God’s presence that you will never again deceive me or my children or my descendants. Instead, just as I have treated you kindly, vow that you will also be kind to me and my people in this country where you are living.” 24 Abraham replied to him, “I vow that I will do those things.”

25 Then Abraham also confronted King Abimelech about a water well that Abimelech’s servants had taken control of from Abraham’s servants. 26 But Abimelech responded, “I have no idea who did that. Besides that, you did not tell me about it before, and so today is the first that I have heard about it.”

27 Then Abraham gave some of his sheep and cattle to Abimelech, and he and Abimelech made a peace treaty with one another. 28 Abraham also separated seven female lambs from the rest of the flock. 29 So Abimelech asked him, “Why did you separate those seven lambs from the rest of the flock?” 30 Abraham replied, “Because I want you to accept them from me, to show everyone that you agree with me that I dug this well and it belongs to me.” 31 Abimelech accepted the lambs, so Abraham named that place Beersheba, which means “Well of the Seven” or “Well of the Vow,” because that’s where they both vowed to live at peace with one another.

32 After Abraham and King Abimelech made their peace treaty at Beersheba, Abimelech and his army captain Phicol left from there and went back to their homes in the Philistines’ territory that Abimelech ruled over. 33 Then Abraham planted an evergreen tree named tamarisk at the place called Beersheba, and there he worshiped Yahweh, who is the God who lives forever. 34 After that, Abraham lived there in the Philistines’ territory for many years.