Genesis Chapter 21

The Birth of Isaac

¹ The LORD kept his promise to Sarah. ² She became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time God had indicated. ³ He named him Isaac ⁴ and circumcised him the eighth day like God said. ⁵ Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. ⁶ Sarah said,

“God made me ‘laugh.’ Everybody that hears about this will laugh too. ⁷ Who would’ve told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I’ve borne him a son in his old age.”

Gen 21:1-7

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a big feast the day he was weaned. ⁹ Sarah saw Hagar’s son making fun of Isaac ¹⁰ and told Abraham, “Get rid of her and her son. He’s not going to inherit with my son.” ¹¹ Abraham agonized over it, ¹² but God told him,

“Don’t agonize over the boy and your maid. Take Sarah’s advice. Your lineage will descend through Isaac, ¹³ but I’ll make a nation out of the maid’s son too because he’s your descendant.”

¹⁴ Abraham got up early and gave Hagar bread and a skin of water. He put them on her shoulder, gave her the boy, and sent her away. She wandered in the desert around Beersheba. ¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she left him under a bush ¹⁶ and sat down about a bowshot away, “Don’t let me watch him die.” She cried out loud. ¹⁷ God heard the boy crying, and his angel called to Hagar from the sky, “What’s wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. God has heard the boy. ¹⁸ Go get him up and hold him by the hand; I’ll make a big nation out of him.” ¹⁹ God caused her to notice a well. She went and filled the skin with water and gave him a drink. ^20-21 God was with him. He grew up and lived in the Wilderness of Paran and became an archer. His mother took a wife for him out of Egypt.                                                       Gen 21:8-21     

Treaty with Abimelech

²² At that time, Abimelech and Phicol, commander of his army, said to Abraham,

“God’s with you whatever you do. ²³ So swear by him here that you won’t deal falsely with me or my descendants. The kindness I’ve shown you please show me and the land where you’ve lived.”

²⁴ “I swear it.”

²⁵ But Abraham complained to him about the well his servants had seized.

²⁶ Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did that. I hadn’t heard about it.”

²⁷ Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and cattle, and the two made a treaty. ²⁸ Abraham also set aside 7 ewe lambs. ²⁹ Abimelech asked, “What are they for?”

³⁰ “Take them as a sign of agreement that I dug this well.” ³¹ He called the place Beersheba because the two of them took an “oath” at that “well.” ³² Abimelech and Phicol went back to Philistine territory. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree there and called on the LORD, the eternal God. ³⁴ He lived in Philistine territory quite a while.                                                              

Gen 21:22-34