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Genesis 16-18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Genesis 16-18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Hagar and Ishmael
16 Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar. 2 Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.[a] 3 So Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years. 4 He slept with[b] Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she realized that she was pregnant, she treated her mistress with contempt. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering![c] I put my slave in your arms,[d] and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you.”(A)
6 Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your hands; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.
7 The Angel of the Lord(B) found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, slave 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 Angel of the Lord said to her, “You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment.”[e] 10 The Angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring,(C) and they will be too many to count.”
11 Then the Angel of the Lord said to her:
You have conceived and will have a son.
You will name him Ishmael,[f]
for the Lord has heard your cry of affliction.
12 This man will be like a wild donkey.
His hand will be against everyone,
and everyone’s hand will be against him;
he will live at odds with[g] all his brothers.(D)
13 So she called the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees,[h] for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen(E) the One who sees me?”[i] 14 That is why she named the spring, “A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”[j] It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son Hagar had. 16 Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
Covenant Circumcision
17 When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty.(F) Live in My presence and be blameless.(G) 2 I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”
3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for Me, My covenant is with you: you will become the father of many nations.[k] 5 Your name will no longer be Abram,[l] but your name will be Abraham,[m] for I will make you the father of many nations.(H) 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. 7 I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant(I) to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.(J) 8 And to you and your future offspring(K) I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession,(L) and I will be their God.”
9 God also said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations are to keep My covenant. 10 This is My covenant, which you are to keep, between Me and you and your offspring after you: Every one of your males must be circumcised. 11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskin to serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and you.[n](M) 12 Throughout your generations, every male among you at eight days old is to be circumcised.(N) This includes a slave born in your house and one purchased with money from any foreigner. The one who is not your offspring, 13 a slave born in your house, as well as one purchased with money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as an everlasting covenant. 14 If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah[o] will be her name. 16 I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her.(O) I will bless her, and she will produce nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed(P) and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a hundred-year-old man? Can Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” 18 So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!”[p]
19 But God said, “No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.[q] I will confirm My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his future offspring. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will certainly bless him; I will make him fruitful and will multiply him greatly. He will father 12 tribal leaders,(Q) and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But I will confirm My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”(R) 22 When He finished talking with him, God withdrew[r] from Abraham.(S)
23 Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was 99 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised, 25 and his son Ishmael was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. 26 On that same day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his household—both slaves born in his house and those purchased with money from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.
Abraham’s Three Visitors
18 Then the Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre(T) while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. 2 He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him.(U) When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground. 3 Then he said, “My lord,[s] if I have found favor in your sight, please do not go on past your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves.[t] This is why you have passed your servant’s way. Later, you can continue on.”
“Yes,” they replied, “do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Knead three measures[u] of fine flour and make bread.”[v] 7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham took curds[w] and milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served[x] them as they ate under the tree.
Sarah Laughs
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he answered.
10 The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!”(V) Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.
11 Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years.[y] Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.[z](W) 12 So she laughed to herself: “After I have become shriveled up and my lord is old, will I have delight?”(X)
13 But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ 14 Is anything impossible for the Lord?(Y) At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.”
15 Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, because she was afraid.
But He replied, “No, you did laugh.”
Abraham’s Plea for Sodom
16 The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off. 17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?(Z) 18 Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.(AA) 19 For I have chosen[aa] him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what He promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. 21 I will go down(AB) to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.”
22 The men turned from there and went toward Sodom(AC) while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[ab] 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(AD) 24 What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Will You really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the 50 righteous people who are in it? 25 You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”(AE)
26 The Lord said, “If I find 50 righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”(AF)
27 Then Abraham answered, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord—even though I am dust and ashes— 28 suppose the 50 righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find 45 there.”
29 Then he spoke to Him again, “Suppose 40 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it on account of 40.”
30 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose 30 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find 30 there.”
31 Then he said, “Since I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose 20 are found there?”
He replied, “I will not destroy it on account of 20.”
32 Then he said, “Let the Lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time.(AG) Suppose 10 are found there?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of 10.” 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
Footnotes
- Genesis 16:2 Lit Abram listened to the voice of Sarai
- Genesis 16:4 Lit He came to
- Genesis 16:5 Or May my suffering be on you
- Genesis 16:5 Lit bosom
- Genesis 16:9 Lit to mistreatment under her hand
- Genesis 16:11 = God Hears
- Genesis 16:12 Or live away from
- Genesis 16:13 Lit her: You God Who Sees
- Genesis 16:13 Hb obscure
- Genesis 16:14 Or Beer-lahai-roi
- Genesis 17:4 Abraham was the father of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Edomites, and Midianites. Spiritually, he is the father of all believers; Gl 3:7,29.
- Genesis 17:5 = The Father Is Exalted
- Genesis 17:5 = Father of a Multitude
- Genesis 17:11 You in v. 11 is pl.
- Genesis 17:15 = Princess
- Genesis 17:18 Lit Ishmael would live in Your sight
- Genesis 17:19 = He Laughs
- Genesis 17:22 Lit went up, or ascended
- Genesis 18:3 Or My Lord, or The Lord
- Genesis 18:5 Lit may sustain your heart
- Genesis 18:6 Lit three seahs; about 21 quarts
- Genesis 18:6 A round, thin, unleavened bread
- Genesis 18:8 Or butter
- Genesis 18:8 Lit was standing by
- Genesis 18:11 Lit days
- Genesis 18:11 Lit The way of women had ceased for Sarah
- Genesis 18:19 Lit known
- Genesis 18:22 Ancient Jewish tradition reads while the Lord remained standing before Abraham
Genesis 16-18
New International Version
Genesis 16-18
New International Version
Hagar and Ishmael
16 Now Sarai,(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.(B) But she had an Egyptian slave(C) named Hagar;(D) 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”(F)
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan(G) ten years,(H) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar,(I) and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.(J) 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”(K)
6 “Your slave is in your hands,(L)” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated(M) Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord(N) found Hagar near a spring(O) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.(P) 8 And he said, “Hagar,(Q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”(R)
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”(S)
11 The angel of the Lord(T) also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.(U)
You shall name him(V) Ishmael,[a](W)
for the Lord has heard of your misery.(X)
12 He will be a wild donkey(Y) of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward[b] all his brothers.(Z)”
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,(AA)” for she said, “I have now seen[c] the One who sees me.”(AB) 14 That is why the well(AC) was called Beer Lahai Roi[d];(AD) it is still there, between Kadesh(AE) and Bered.
15 So Hagar(AF) bore Abram a son,(AG) and Abram gave the name Ishmael(AH) to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old(AI) when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
The Covenant of Circumcision
17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old,(AJ) the Lord appeared to him(AK) and said, “I am God Almighty[e];(AL) walk before me faithfully and be blameless.(AM) 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you(AN) and will greatly increase your numbers.”(AO)
3 Abram fell facedown,(AP) and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you:(AQ) You will be the father of many nations.(AR) 5 No longer will you be called Abram[f]; your name will be Abraham,[g](AS) for I have made you a father of many nations.(AT) 6 I will make you very fruitful;(AU) I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.(AV) 7 I will establish my covenant(AW) as an everlasting covenant(AX) between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God(AY) and the God of your descendants after you.(AZ) 8 The whole land of Canaan,(BA) where you now reside as a foreigner,(BB) I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;(BC) and I will be their God.(BD)”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant,(BE) you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.(BF) 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.(BG) 11 You are to undergo circumcision,(BH) and it will be the sign of the covenant(BI) between me and you. 12 For the generations to come(BJ) every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised,(BK) including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised.(BL) My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant.(BM) 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised(BN) in the flesh, will be cut off from his people;(BO) he has broken my covenant.(BP)”
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai(BQ) your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.(BR) 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her.(BS) I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations;(BT) kings of peoples will come from her.”
17 Abraham fell facedown;(BU) he laughed(BV) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?(BW) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”(BX) 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael(BY) might live under your blessing!”(BZ)
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,(CA) and you will call him Isaac.[h](CB) I will establish my covenant with him(CC) as an everlasting covenant(CD) for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.(CE) He will be the father of twelve rulers,(CF) and I will make him into a great nation.(CG) 21 But my covenant(CH) I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you(CI) by this time next year.”(CJ) 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.(CK)
23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household(CL) or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.(CM) 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old(CN) when he was circumcised,(CO) 25 and his son Ishmael(CP) was thirteen; 26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day. 27 And every male in Abraham’s household(CQ), including those born in his household or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
The Three Visitors
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham(CR) near the great trees of Mamre(CS) while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent(CT) in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up(CU) and saw three men(CV) standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.(CW)
3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,(CX) my lord,[i] do not pass your servant(CY) by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet(CZ) and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat,(DA) so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs[j] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”(DB)
7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf(DC) and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds(DD) and milk(DE) and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them.(DF) While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?”(DG) they asked him.
“There, in the tent,(DH)” he said.
10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,(DI) and Sarah your wife will have a son.”(DJ)
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old,(DK) and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.(DL) 12 So Sarah laughed(DM) to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord(DN) is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’(DO) 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord?(DP) I will return to you at the appointed time next year,(DQ) and Sarah will have a son.”(DR)
15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
Abraham Pleads for Sodom
16 When the men(DS) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham(DT) what I am about to do?(DU) 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation,(DV) and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[k] 19 For I have chosen him(DW), so that he will direct his children(DX) and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord(DY) by doing what is right and just,(DZ) so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”(EA)
20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom(EB) and Gomorrah is so great(EC) and their sin so grievous(ED) 21 that I will go down(EE) and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
22 The men(EF) turned away and went toward Sodom,(EG) but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[l](EH) 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(EI) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[m] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?(EJ) 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing(EK)—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous(EL) and the wicked alike.(EM) Far be it from you! Will not the Judge(EN) of all the earth do right?”(EO)
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.(EP)”
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,(EQ) 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry,(ER) but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.(ES) What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten,(ET) I will not destroy it.”
33 When the Lord had finished speaking(EU) with Abraham, he left,(EV) and Abraham returned home.(EW)
Footnotes
- Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears.
- Genesis 16:12 Or live to the east / of
- Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of
- Genesis 16:14 Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.
- Genesis 17:1 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Genesis 17:5 Abram means exalted father.
- Genesis 17:5 Abraham probably means father of many.
- Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
- Genesis 18:3 Or eyes, Lord
- Genesis 18:6 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
- Genesis 18:18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 18:22 Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham
- Genesis 18:24 Or forgive; also in verse 26
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
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