Genesis 21

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

1The LORD did for Sarah just what he had promised. He kept his word.

2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

2Sarah became pregnant. She had a baby boy for Abraham when he was old. It happened at the very time God had said.

3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

3Abraham named the baby boy Isaac.

4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

4When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him. This was a small cut on the body that God told Abraham's family to make.

5And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

5Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born.

6And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

6Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me."

7And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

7She said, "Nobody would have told Abraham that Sarah would feed a baby. But I gave him a son when he was old."

8And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

8The boy grew. One day he stopped drinking his mother's milk. That same day Abraham made a big feast.

9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

9Hagar came from Egypt. She had a son with Abraham too. Sarah saw that boy making fun of Isaac.

10Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

10So Sarah said to Abraham, "Send that servant woman and her son away. Her son will not share what belongs to my son Isaac."

11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

11This made Abraham very sad, because Ishmael was his son too.

12And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

12God said to Abraham, "Do not be sad about the boy or about your servant. Do what Sarah tells you. Your family line will be counted through Isaac."

13And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

13"I will also make the servant woman's son into a big nation, because he is your son too."

14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

14Early in the morning Abraham got up. He took bread and a bag of water. He put them on Hagar's shoulders. He sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the dry, empty land near Beersheba.

NoteThe King James Bible says "a bottle of water." It was not a glass bottle. It was a bag made from animal skin.

15And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

15The water in the bag ran out. Hagar laid the boy down under a bush.

16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

16She walked away and sat down, about as far as an arrow flies. She said, "I cannot watch my boy die." She sat there and cried out loud.

17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

17God heard the boy crying. God's angel, a messenger from God, called to Hagar from heaven. He said, "What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid. God has heard the boy right where he is."

18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

18"Get up. Lift the boy up. Hold him by the hand. I will make him into a big nation."

19And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

19Then God helped her see a well of water. She went and filled the bag and gave the boy a drink.

20And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

20God was with the boy. He grew up and lived in the dry, empty land. He learned to shoot a bow.

21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

21He lived in the wild land called Paran. His mother found him a wife from Egypt.

22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

22About that time King Abimelech came to Abraham. Phichol, the leader of his soldiers, came too. They said, "God helps you in everything you do."

23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

23"So promise me here, before God, that you will never trick me. Do not trick my children or my grandchildren either. I have been kind to you. Be kind to me and to this land where you are living."

24And Abraham said, I will swear.

24Abraham said, "I promise."

25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.

25But Abraham told Abimelech that something was wrong. Abimelech's servants had grabbed a water well that Abraham had dug.

26And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

26Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this. You never told me. I only heard about it today."

27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

27Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and cows. The two men made an agreement with each other.

28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

28Abraham set seven girl lambs apart from the rest of the flock.

29And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

29Abimelech asked him, "Why have you set these seven lambs apart?"

30And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.

30Abraham said, "Take these seven lambs from me. They will show everyone that I dug this well."

31Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

31So he called that place Beersheba, because the two men made their promise there.

NoteThe name Beersheba sounds like the words for "well of the promise" and also "well of seven."

32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

32They made their agreement at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phichol went back to the land of the Philistines.

33And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

33Abraham planted a tree at Beersheba. There he prayed to the LORD, the God who lives forever.

NoteThe King James Bible says Abraham planted a "grove," which sounds like many trees. It was really one tree, a kind called a tamarisk.

34And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.

34Abraham lived in the Philistines' land for a long time.