Genesis 21

The Birth of Isaac

1 The Lord came through for Sarah just like He said He would, keeping His promise.

2 Sarah got pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, exactly when God said it would happen.

3 Abraham named his son Isaac, the one Sarah bore him.

4 When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, just like God commanded.

5 Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.

6 Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’

7 ‘Who would have thought Abraham and I would have a kid at this age, Yet here I am nursing a son in my old age.’

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8 When Isaac grew up and was weaned, Abraham threw a big feast to celebrate.

9 But Sarah saw Ishmael, the son Hagar had with Abraham, mocking Isaac.

10 She told Abraham, ‘Get rid of this slave woman and her son! Ishmael will not share the inheritance with my son Isaac.’

11 This upset Abraham a lot because Ishmael was his son too.

12 But God said, ‘Do not stress about the boy or Hagar. Do what Sarah says, because it is through Isaac that your descendants will be counted.’

13 ‘But do not worry, I will make a nation out of Ishmael too, since he is your son.’

14 Early the next morning, Abraham gave Hagar some food and water, put it on her shoulder, and sent her and Ishmael away. They wandered in the desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water ran out, Hagar left Ishmael under a bush.

16 She walked a little ways off and sat down, thinking, ‘I cannot watch my boy die.’ She sat there sobbing.

17 God heard Ishmael crying, and an angel called out to Hagar from heaven, ‘What is wrong, Hagar, Do not be afraid. God heard the boy crying.’

18 ‘Get up, lift the boy, and hold him tight, because I am going to make him into a great nation.’

19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She filled her bottle and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with Ishmael as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an expert with a bow.

21 He lived in the Paran Desert, and his mom found him a wife from Egypt.

The Treaty at Beersheba

22 At that time, Abimelek and Phicol, his army commander, said to Abraham, ‘God is clearly with you in everything you do.’

23 ‘So swear to me here before God that you will treat me and my descendants kindly, just like I have treated you.’

24 Abraham said, ‘I swear.’

25 But Abraham also brought up a problem: ‘Your servants seized one of my wells.’

26 Abimelek said, ‘I did not know anything about that! You are just now telling me.’

27 So Abraham gave Abimelek some sheep and cattle to seal a treaty between them.

28 Abraham set aside seven ewe lambs.

29 Abimelek asked, ‘What is with these seven lambs?’

30 Abraham said, ‘These lambs are my gift to you as proof that I dug this well.’

31 That place was called Beersheba (‘Well of the Oath’) because they made a treaty there.

32 After the treaty, Abimelek and Phicol went back to the land of the Philistines.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God, there.

34 Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.