the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible
Myles Coverdale Bible
Genesis 16
1 Sarai Abrams wife bare him no children: but she had an handmayde an Egipcian, whose name was Agar,2 and sayde vnto Abram: Beholde, the LORDE hath closed me, that I can not beare. Go in (I praye the) vnto my mayde: peraduenture I shalbe multiplied by her, more then by myself. And Abram herkened vnto the voyce of Sarai. Than Sarai3 Abrams wife toke Agar hir mayde ye Egipcian (after they had dwelt ten yeare in the londe of Canaan) and gaue her vnto hir huÃbande Abra, to be his wife.
4 And he wente in vnto Agar, and she conceaued. Now whan she sawe yt she had conceyued, she despysed hir mastresse.5 Then sayde Sarai vnto Abram: I must suffre wronge for thy sake. I layde my mayde by the: but now because she seyth, that she hath conceaued, I must be despysed in hir sight: the LORDE be iudge betwene me and the.6 And Abram sayde vnto Sarai: Beholde, thy mayde is vnder thine auctorite, do with her, as it pleaseth the.Now whan Sarai dealt hardly wt her, she fled from her.
7 But the angell of the LORDE founde her besyde a well of water in the wildernesse (euen by the well in the waye to Sur)8 and sayde vnto her: Agar Sarais maide, whence commest thou? & whyther wylt thou go? She sayde: I fle fro my mastresse Sarai.9 And the angel of the LORDE sayde vnto her: Returne to thy mastresse agayne, and submitte thyself vnder hir hande.
10 And the angel of the LORDE sayde vnto her: Beholde, I wil so encreace yi sede, that it shall not be nombred for multitude.11 And the angel of the LORDE sayde further vnto her: Beholde, thou art with childe, & shalt bringe forth a sonne, and shalt call his name Ismael, because the LORDE hath herde yi trouble.12 He shal be a wylde man. His hande agaynst euery man, and euery mans hande agaynst him: and he shal dwel ouer agaynst all his brethren.13 And she called the name of the LORDE yt spake vnto her: Thou art the God that seist me. For she sayde: Of a suertye I haue sene the back partes of him that sawe me.14 Therfore called she the well: The well of the liuinge that sawe me. Which (well) is betwene Cades and Bared.
15 And Agar bare Abram a sonne, and Abram called his sonnes name which Agar bare him, Ismael.16 And Abram was foure score yeare olde and sixe, whan Agar bare him Ismael.