Hagar and Ishmael

161 And Sarai, Abram's wife, hath not borne to him, and she hath an handmaid, an Egyptian, and her name 'is' Hagar; 2 and Sarai saith unto Abram, 'Lo, I pray thee, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing, go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; perhaps I am built up from her;' and Abram hearkeneth to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai, Abram's wife, taketh Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, at the end of the tenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and giveth her to Abram her husband, to him for a wife,

4 and he goeth in unto Hagar, and she conceiveth, and she seeth that she hath conceived, and her mistress is lightly esteemed in her eyes. 5 And Sarai saith unto Abram, 'My violence 'is' for thee; I—I have given mine handmaid into thy bosom, and she seeth that she hath conceived, and I am lightly esteemed in her eyes; Jehovah doth judge between me and thee.' 6 And Abram saith unto Sarai, 'Lo, thine handmaid 'is' in thine hand, do to her that which is good in thine eyes;' and Sarai afflicted her, and she fleeth from her presence.

7 And a messenger of Jehovah findeth her by the fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way 'to' Shur, 8 and he saith, 'Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence hast thou come, and whither dost thou go?' and she saith, 'From the presence of Sarai, my mistress, I am fleeing.' 9 And the messenger of Jehovah saith to her, 'Turn back unto thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hands;'

10 and the messenger of Jehovah saith to her, 'Multiplying I multiply thy seed, and it is not numbered from multitude;' 11 and the messenger of Jehovah saith to her, 'Behold thou 'art' conceiving, and bearing a son, and hast called his name Ishmael, for Jehovah hath hearkened unto thine affliction; 12 and he is a wild-ass man, his hand against every one, and every one's hand against him—and before the face of all his brethren he dwelleth.' 13 And she calleth the name of Jehovah who is speaking unto her, 'Thou 'art', O God, my beholder;' for she said, 'Even here have I looked behind my beholder?' 14 therefore hath one called the well, 'The well of the Living One, my beholder;' lo, between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar beareth to Abram a son; and Abram calleth the name of his son, whom Hagar hath borne, Ishmael; 16 and Abram 'is' a son of eighty and six years in Hagar's bearing Ishmael to Abram.

Circumcision the Sign of the Covenant

171 And Abram is a son of ninety and nine years, and Jehovah appeareth unto Abram, and saith unto him, 'I 'am' God Almighty, walk habitually before Me, and be thou perfect; 2 and I give My covenant between Me and thee, and multiply thee very exceedingly.' 3 And Abram falleth upon his face, and God speaketh with him, saying,

4 'I—lo, My covenant 'is' with thee, and thou hast become father of a multitude of nations; 5 and thy name is no more called Abram, but thy name hath been Abraham, for father of a multitude of nations have I made thee; 6 and I have made thee exceeding fruitful, and made thee become nations, and kings go out from thee.

7 'And I have established My covenant between Me and thee, and thy seed after thee, to their generations, for a covenant age-during, to become God to thee, and to thy seed after thee; 8 and I have given to thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, the whole land of Canaan, for a possession age-during, and I have become their God.' 9 And God saith unto Abraham, 'And thou dost keep My covenant, thou and thy seed after thee, to their generations; 10 this 'is' My covenant which ye keep between Me and you, and thy seed after thee: Every male of you 'is' to be circumcised; 11 and ye have circumcised the flesh of your foreskin, and it hath become a token of a covenant between Me and you. 12 'And a son of eight days is circumcised by you; every male to your generations, born in the house, or bought with money from any son of a stranger, who is not of thy seed; 13 he is certainly circumcised who 'is' born in thine house, or bought with thy money; and My covenant hath become in your flesh a covenant age-during; 14 and an uncircumcised one, a male, the flesh of whose foreskin is not circumcised, even that person hath been cut off from his people; My covenant he hath broken.'

15 And God saith unto Abraham, 'Sarai thy wife—thou dost not call her name Sarai, for Sarah 'is' her name; 16 and I have blessed her, and have also given to thee a son from her; and I have blessed her, and she hath become nations—kings of peoples are from her.' 17 And Abraham falleth upon his face, and laugheth, and saith in his heart, 'To the son of an hundred years is one born? or doth Sarah—daughter of ninety years—bear?' 18 And Abraham saith unto God, 'O that Ishmael may live before Thee;' 19 and God saith, 'Sarah thy wife is certainly bearing a son to thee, and thou hast called his name Isaac, and I have established My covenant with him, for a covenant age-during, to his seed after him. 20 As to Ishmael, I have heard thee; lo, I have blessed him, and made him fruitful, and multiplied him, very exceedingly; twelve princes doth he beget, and I have made him become a great nation; 21 and My covenant I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah doth bear to thee at this appointed time in the next year;' 22 and He finisheth speaking with him, and God goeth up from Abraham.

23 And Abraham taketh Ishmael his son, and all those born in his house, and all those bought with his money—every male among the men of Abraham's house—and circumciseth the flesh of their foreskin, in this self-same day, as God hath spoken with him. 24 And Abraham 'is' a son of ninety and nine years in the flesh of his foreskin being circumcised; 25 and Ishmael his son 'is' a son of thirteen years in the flesh of his foreskin being circumcised; 26 in this self-same day hath Abraham been circumcised, and Ishmael his son; 27 and all the men of his house—born in the house, and bought with money from the son of a stranger—have been circumcised with him.

The Birth of Isaac Promised

181 And Jehovah appeareth unto him among the oaks of Mamre, and he is sitting at the opening of the tent, about the heat of the day; 2 and he lifteth up his eyes and looketh, and lo, three men standing by him, and he seeth, and runneth to meet them from the opening of the tent, and boweth himself towards the earth, 3 And he saith, 'My Lord, if, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, do not, I pray thee, pass on from thy servant; 4 let, I pray thee, a little water be accepted, and wash your feet, and recline under the tree; 5 and I bring a piece of bread, and support ye your heart; afterwards pass on, for therefore have ye passed over unto your servant;' and they say, 'So mayest thou do as thou has spoken.' 6 And Abraham hasteth towards the tent, unto Sarah, and saith, 'Hasten three measures of flour-meal, knead, and make cakes;' 7 and Abraham ran unto the herd, and taketh a son of the herd, tender and good, and giveth unto the young man, and he hasteth to prepare it; 8 and he taketh butter and milk, and the son of the herd which he hath prepared, and setteth before them; and he is standing by them under the tree, and they do eat.

9 And they say unto him, 'Where 'is' Sarah thy wife?' and he saith, 'Lo—in the tent;' 10 and he saith, 'returning I return unto thee, about the time of life, and lo, to Sarah thy wife a son.' 11 And Sarah is hearkening at the opening of the tent, which is behind him; 12 and Abraham and Sarah 'are' aged, entering into days—the way of women hath ceased to be to Sarah; 13 and Sarah laugheth in her heart, saying, 'After I have waxed old I have had pleasure!—my lord also 'is' old!' 14 And Jehovah saith unto Abraham, 'Why 'is' this? Sarah hath laughed, saying, Is it true really—I bear—and I am aged? Is any thing too wonderful for Jehovah? at the appointed time I return unto thee, about the time of life, and Sarah hath a son.' 15 And Sarah denieth, saying, 'I did not laugh;' for she hath been afraid; and He saith, 'Nay, but thou didst laugh.'

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

16 And the men rise from thence, and look on the face of Sodom, and Abraham is going with them to send them away; 17 and Jehovah said, 'Am I concealing from Abraham that which I am doing, 18 and Abraham certainly becometh a nation great and mighty, and blessed in him have been all nations of the earth? 19 for I have known him, that he commandeth his children, and his house after him (and they have kept the way of Jehovah), to do righteousness and judgment, that Jehovah may bring on Abraham that which He hath spoken concerning him.' 20 And Jehovah saith, 'The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah—because great; and their sin—because exceeding grievous: 21 I go down now, and see whether according to its cry which is coming unto Me they have done completely—and if not—I know;' 22 and the men turn from thence, and go towards Sodom; and Abraham is yet standing before Jehovah.

23 And Abraham draweth nigh and saith, 'Dost Thou also consume righteous with wicked? 24 peradventure there are fifty righteous in the midst of the city; dost Thou also consume, and not bear with the place for the sake of the fifty—the righteous who 'are' in its midst? 25 Far be it from Thee to do according to this thing, to put to death the righteous with the wicked; that it hath been—as the righteous so the wicked—far be it from Thee; doth the Judge of all the earth not do justice?' 26 And Jehovah saith, 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city, then have I borne with all the place for their sake.' 27 And Abraham answereth and saith, 'Lo, I pray thee, I have willed to speak unto the Lord, and I—dust and ashes; 28 peradventure there are lacking five of the fifty righteous—dost Thou destroy for five the whole of the city?' and He saith, 'I destroy 'it' not, if I find there forty and five.' 29 And he addeth again to speak unto Him and saith, 'Peradventure there are found there forty?' and He saith, 'I do 'it' not, because of the forty.' 30 And he saith, 'Let it not be, I Pray thee, displeasing to the Lord, and I speak: peradventure there are found there thirty?' and He saith, 'I do 'it' not, if I find there thirty.' 31 And he saith, 'Lo, I pray thee, I have willed to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there are found there twenty?' and He saith, 'I do not destroy 'it', because of the twenty.' 32 And he saith, 'Let it not be, I pray Thee, displeasing to the Lord, and I speak only this time: peradventure there are found there ten?' and He saith, 'I do not destroy 'it', because of the ten.' 33 And Jehovah goeth on, when He hath finished speaking unto Abraham, and Abraham hath turned back to his place.