Genesis 16

Sarai and Hagar

1 Now*Or "And" 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."*Literally "I will be built from her" And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 Then*Or "And" 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*That is, Hagar 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,*Literally "I put my servant in your lap" and when she saw that she had conceived, she no longer respected me.*Literally "I grew small in her eyes" May Yahweh judge between me and you!" 6 And Abram said to Sarai, "Look, your servant is under your authority.*Literally "in your hand" Do to her that which is good in your eyes." And Sarai mistreated her, and she*That is, Hagar 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*Literally "where from this" have you come, and where are you going?" And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of Sarai my mistress." 9 Then*Or "And" the angel of Yahweh said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her authority."*Literally "her hand"10 And the angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will greatly multiply*Literally "multiplying I will multiply" 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."*Literally "against the face of all his brothers"

13 So*Or "And" she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, "You are El-Roi,"*"God of seeing" 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.