21:1 The LORD¹ visited² Sarah just as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised.³ 21:2 So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Then Abraham called the name of his son, who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him,⁴ Isaac. 21:4 And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old,⁵ just as God had commanded him.⁶ 21:5 Now Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him.⁷

21:6 And Sarah said, “God has prepared⁸ laughter for me; and everyone who hears will laugh⁹ with me.” 21:7 And she said, “Who would¹⁰ have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? for I have borne him a son in his old age.”

21:8 The child grew¹¹ and was weaned; and Abraham prepared¹² a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.¹³ 21:9 But Sarah observed¹⁴ the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.¹⁵ 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Drive out¹⁶ this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not be an heir with my son Isaac.”

21:11 The matter¹⁷ displeased¹⁸ Abraham greatly on account of his son. 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Let it not be displeasing to you¹⁹ concerning the boy or your slave wife; obey²⁰ all that Sarah is saying²¹ to you, because in Isaac will your descendants be named.²² 21:13 And also the son of the slave wife I will make into a great nation, for he is your son.²³

21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took²⁴ food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and he gave her the child,²⁵ and he sent her away.

So she went wandering²⁶ in the wilderness of Beersheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she dumped²⁷ the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bow’s shot; for she thought,²⁸ “Let me not look on the death of the child.” So she sat across from him, and lifted up her voice and wept.²⁹

21:17 But God heard the voice of the lad,³⁰ and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What is the matter,³¹ Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard³² the voice of the lad where he is. 21:18 Arise, pick the lad up, and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water, and she gave the lad a drink.

21:20 And God was with the lad as³³ he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He³⁴ lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

21:22 At that time³⁵ Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, said to Abraham, ³⁶ “God is with you³⁷ in everything that you are doing. 21:23 And now, swear³⁸ to me here by God that you will not³⁹ deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show me⁴⁰ and the land⁴¹ where you are staying⁴² the same kindness that I have shown you.

21:24 So Abraham said, “I will swear.” 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint⁴³ against Abimelech concerning the matter of the well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.⁴⁴ 21:26 But Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing. Moreover,⁴⁵ you did not tell me; neither did I hear about it, except today.”

21:27 Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech; so the two of them cut a covenant.⁴⁶ 21:28 Abraham⁴⁷ set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves; 21:29 and Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these⁴⁸ seven ewe lambs that you have set apart by themselves?” 21:30 And he said, “These seven ewe lambs you must take from my hand to be a witness⁴⁹ for me that I dug this well.⁵⁰ 21:31 That is why that place was called⁵¹ Beersheba,⁵² because the two of them swore⁵³ an oath there.

21:32 So they cut a covenant⁵⁴ at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army arose and returned to the land of the Philistines.⁵⁵ 21:33 Abraham⁵⁶ planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba.⁵⁷ And there he made proclamation in the name of the LORD, the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.