Genesis 21

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Ref And Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken;

2 Ref and Sarah conceiveth, and beareth a son to Abraham, to his old age, at the appointed time that God hath spoken of with him;

3 Ref and Abraham calleth the name of his son who is born to him, whom Sarah hath born to him -- Isaac;

4 Ref and Abraham circumciseth Isaac his son, `being' a son of eight days, as God hath commanded him.

5 Ref And Abraham `is' a son of a hundred years in Isaac his son being born to him,

6 Ref and Sarah saith, `God hath made laughter for me; every one who is hearing laugheth for me.'

7 Ref She saith also, `Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?'

8 Ref And the lad groweth, and is weaned, and Abraham maketh a great banquet in the day of Isaac's being weaned;

9 Ref and Sarah seeth the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she hath borne to Abraham, mocking,

10 Ref and she saith to Abraham, `Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid hath no possession with my son -- with Isaac.'

11 Ref And the thing is very wrong in the eyes of Abraham, for his son's sake;

12 Ref and God saith unto Abraham, `Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee -- hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee.

13 Ref As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he `is' thy seed.'

14 Ref And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and taketh bread, and a bottle of water, and giveth unto Hagar (placing `it' on her shoulder), also the lad, and sendeth her out; and she goeth on, and goeth astray in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba;

15 Ref and the water is consumed from the bottle, and she placeth the lad under one of the shrubs.

16 Ref And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, `Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.

17 Ref And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, `What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he `is';

18 Ref rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.'

19 Ref And God openeth her eyes, and she seeth a well of water, and she goeth and filleth the bottle `with' water, and causeth the youth to drink;

20 Ref and God is with the youth, and he groweth, and dwelleth in the wilderness, and is an archer;

21 Ref and he dwelleth in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother taketh for him a wife from the land of Egypt.

22 Ref And it cometh to pass at that time that Abimelech speaketh -- Phichol also, head of his host -- unto Abraham, saying, `God `is' with thee in all that thou art doing;

23 Ref and now, swear to me by God here: thou dost not lie to me, or to my continuator, or to my successor; according to the kindness which I have done with thee thou dost with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.'

24 Ref And Abraham saith, `I -- I do swear.'

25 Ref And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away,

26 Ref and Abimelech saith, `I have not known who hath done this thing, and even thou didst not declare to me, and I also, I have not heard save to-day.'

27 Ref And Abraham taketh sheep and oxen, and giveth to Abimelech, and they make, both of them, a covenant;

28 and Abraham setteth seven Lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 Ref And Abimelech saith unto Abraham, `What `are' they -- these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?'

30 Ref And he saith, `For -- the seven lambs thou dost accept from my hand, so that it becometh a witness for me that I have digged this well;'

31 Ref therefore hath he called that place `Beer-Sheba,' for there have both of them sworn.

32 Ref And they make a covenant in Beer-Sheba, and Abimelech riseth -- Phichol also, head of his host -- and they turn back unto the land of the Philistines;

33 Ref and `Abraham' planteth a tamarask in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during;

34 Ref and Abraham sojourneth in the land of the Philistines many days.

American Standard-ASV1901 (ASV)

1 Ref And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

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

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

4 Ref And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

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

6 Ref And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh. Every one that heareth will laugh with me.

7 Ref And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

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

9 Ref And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.

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

11 Ref And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.

12 Ref And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy handmaid. In all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice. For in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

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

14 Ref 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 `gave her' the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

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

16 Ref And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot. For she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

17 Ref 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.

18 Ref Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thy hand. For I will make him a great nation.

19 Ref 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.

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

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

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

23 Ref Now 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.

24 Ref And Abraham said, I will swear.

25 Ref And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

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

27 Ref And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech. And they two made a covenant.

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

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

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

31 Ref Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba. Because there they sware both of them.

32 Ref So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. And Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

33 Ref And `Abraham' planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Everlasting God.

34 Ref And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Chapter 21 of 50

Begin Your Journey of Faith

We all start at different points in our walk with Christ. No matter where you are, we're here to support you as you grow in faith.

Accept Jesus Christ as Your Savior

If you haven’t made the decision to follow Jesus yet, we want to walk with you as you discover the new life He offers.

Read "A Truly Free Gift"

What Guides Our Walk With Christ

Discover the biblical truths and core beliefs that shape how we live, serve, and walk faithfully with Christ each day.

Explore Our Beliefs

Join a Community of Believers

Don’t walk through life alone. Find others to connect with, whether in person or online, and grow together in Christ.

Discover Where We Meet