Hagar

1Sarai was Abram's wife. She had not given him any children. She had a servant woman from Egypt named Hagar.

Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

NoteA servant woman worked for Sarai and had to do what Sarai told her. Egypt was a country far away to the south.

2Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the LORD has kept me from having children. Please sleep with my servant Hagar. Maybe I can have a family through her." Abram did what Sarai said.

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

NoteLong ago, a wife with no children sometimes let her servant have a baby instead. The baby would then be counted as the wife's own child. Also, when you see LORD in big letters, it is God's own special name.

3Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years. Then his wife Sarai took her Egyptian servant Hagar. She gave Hagar to her husband Abram to be his wife.

And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

NoteCanaan was the land God had promised to give Abram. In those days a man could have more than one wife. Hagar became Abram's wife, but she was still Sarai's servant.

4Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to look down on Sarai.

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5Sarai said to Abram, "The wrong done to me is your fault. I put my servant in your arms. Now she knows she is pregnant, and she looks down on me. Let the LORD decide who is right, you or me."

And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

6Abram said to Sarai, "Look, your servant is in your hands. Do to her whatever you want." Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, and Hagar ran away from her.

But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

7The angel of the LORD found Hagar in the desert. She was beside a spring of water, the spring by the road that goes to Shur.

And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

NoteAn angel is a messenger who brings God's words to people. A desert is dry, empty land with sand, rocks, and very few people. Shur was near Egypt, so Hagar was walking toward the land she came from.

8He said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where did you come from? Where are you going?" She said, "I am running away from my mistress Sarai."

And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

NoteA mistress is the woman a servant works for and obeys.

9The angel of the LORD said to her, "Go back to your mistress. Do as she tells you."

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

10The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will give you very many children and their children. There will be too many to count."

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11The angel of the LORD said to her, "Look, you are going to have a baby. You will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, because the LORD has heard how you were hurt.

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

NoteThe name Ishmael means "God hears." His name would remind everyone that God heard Hagar crying.

12He will be a wild man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him. He will live near all his brothers."

And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

NoteThe old words say he will be like a wild donkey, an animal that runs free in the desert. "His hand against everyone" is a way of saying he will often fight with people.

13Then Hagar gave a name to the LORD who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me." She also said, "Have I really seen here the One who sees me?"

And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

NoteLong ago, people gave names that said something true about a person. The name Hagar gave God meant that God had seen her when she was alone.

14That is why the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered.

Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

NoteA well is a deep hole dug down to water. The name Beer-lahai-roi means "the well of the Living One who sees me." Kadesh and Bered were places out in the dry land.

15Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram. Abram named the son Ishmael.

And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

NoteThe old words say "fourscore and six." A score means twenty, so fourscore and six means eighty-six.

9Sarah saw the son that Hagar the Egyptian had given Abraham. He was making fun.

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

NoteHagar was Sarah's servant from Egypt. Years before this, Sarah told Abraham to have a baby with Hagar. That baby was a boy named Ishmael. He is the boy in this story.

10So Sarah said to Abraham, "Send this slave woman and her son away. The son of this slave woman will not share what is yours with my son Isaac."

Wherefore 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.

NoteBack then a father's animals and land went to his sons when he died. Sarah did not want Ishmael to get any of it.

11This made Abraham very sad, because of his son.

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

12But God said to Abraham, "Do not be sad about the boy and about your slave woman. Listen to everything Sarah says to you. Your family line will be counted through Isaac.

And 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.

NoteThe King James says "thy seed." Seed here means children, grandchildren, and all the family after them.

13I will also make the slave woman's son into a whole nation. I will do this because he is your son too."

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

NoteA nation is a very big group of people living together. God says Ishmael's family will grow that big.

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

And 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.

NoteThis bottle was a bag sewn from animal skin. People carried water in it. There was no glass or plastic then. The wild, empty land was dry, with few plants and almost no water.

15The water in the bag was all gone. She laid the child under one of the bushes.

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

16Then she went and sat down across from him, far away. It was about as far as an arrow flies. She said, "Let me not watch the child die." She sat there across from him and cried out loud.

And 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.

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

And 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.

NoteAn angel is a messenger. God sends angels to bring people his words.

18Get up. Lift the boy up and hold him by the hand. I will make him into a great nation."

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

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

And 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.

20God was with the boy. He grew up and lived in the wild, empty land. He became an archer, someone who shoots with a bow and arrows.

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

21He lived in the wild, empty land of Paran. His mother got him a wife from the land of Egypt.

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

NoteParan was a dry, sandy land far to the south.

21Some of you want to live under the law. Tell me, do you really listen to what the law says?

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

NoteHere "the law" means the first books of the Bible. Those books tell the story of Abraham.

22The Bible says Abraham had two sons. One son's mother was a slave. The other son's mother was free.

For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

NoteAbraham lived a very long time ago. God chose him and promised him a big family. His wife was named Sarah. The slave woman in their house was named Hagar.

23The slave woman's son was born the ordinary way. The free woman's son was born because God promised him.

But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

NoteSarah was very old and had no children. God promised her a baby anyway. Hagar's baby came the usual way.

24These things are a picture of something more. The two women stand for two agreements between God and people. One agreement came from Mount Sinai. Its children are born as slaves. That agreement is Hagar.

Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

NoteMount Sinai is the mountain where Moses got God's rules. An agreement like this is also called a covenant.

25Hagar stands for Mount Sinai, a mountain in Arabia. She matches the city of Jerusalem as it is today. That city and her children are slaves.

For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

NoteArabia is a dry desert land. Jerusalem was the main city of God's people.

26But there is a Jerusalem above. That one is free. She is our mother.

But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

NotePaul means God's own city, up in heaven. It is not a city you could find on a map.

27The Bible says, "Be glad, woman who has no children. Shout for joy, you who never gave birth. The woman left alone will have more children than the woman with a husband."

For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

NoteThese words come from Isaiah, a prophet. A prophet was someone who told people what God said. Back then a woman with no children felt very sad and alone.

28Brothers and sisters, we are like Isaac. We are the children God promised.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

NoteIsaac was the son God promised to Abraham and Sarah.

29Back then the son born the ordinary way made trouble for his brother. That brother was born by God's Spirit. The same thing happens now.

But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

NoteThe two brothers were Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was older, and he made fun of Isaac.

30But what does the Bible say? "Send the slave woman and her son away. The slave woman's son will not share what the free woman's son receives."

Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

NoteThese words come from Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Sarah said them about Hagar and her son.

31So, brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman's children. We are the free woman's children.

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.