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The Birth of Ishmael

¹ Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. ² So Sarai said to Abram, "Since the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her." Abram did what Sarai told him.

³ So after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, "You have brought this wrong on me! I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she despised me. May the Lord judge between you and me!"

⁶ Abram said to Sarai, "Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best." Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.

⁷ The Lord's angel found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert—the spring that is along the road to Shur. ⁸ He said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She replied, "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai."

⁹ Then the Lord's angel said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her authority. ¹⁰ I will greatly multiply your descendants," the Lord's angel added, "so that they will be too numerous to count." ¹¹ Then the Lord's angel said to her,

¹³ So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "Here I have seen one who sees me!" ¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. (It is located between Kadesh and Bered.)

¹⁵ So Hagar gave birth to Abram's son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ¹⁶ (Now Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)