Genesis 16

The Birth of Ishmael

1 Now Sarai,t Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children,s but she had an Egyptian servantt named Hagar.s

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Sincet the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations withts my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.”t Abram did whatts Sarai told him.
3 So after Abram had livedt in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant,t to her husband to be his wife.s4 He had sexual relations witht Hagar, and she became pregnant.t Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.t

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me!t I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you,t but when she realizedt that she was pregnant, she despised me.t May the Lord judge between you and me!”ts

6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since yourt servant is under your authority,t do to her whatever you think best.”t Then Sarai treated Hagart harshly,t so she ran away from Sarai.t
7 The Lord's angelt found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur.t

8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away fromt my mistress, Sarai.”
9 Then the Lord's angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submitt to her authority.10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord's angel added,t “so that they will be too numerous to count.”t

11 Then the Lord's angel said to her,
“You are nowt pregnant
and are about to give birtht to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael,s
for the Lord has heard your painful groans.ts

12 He will be a wild donkeys of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone,t
and everyone will be hostile to him.t
He will live away fromt his brothers.”
13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,”t for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!”ts

14 That is why the well was calledt Beer Lahai Roi.s (It is locatedt between Kadesh and Bered.)
15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael.ts

16 (Nowt Abram was 86 years oldt when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)t

Genesis 17

The Sign of the Covenant

1 When Abram was 99 years old,t the Lord appeared to him and said,t “I am the sovereign God.t Walkt before met and be blameless.t

2 Then I will confirm my covenantt between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.”t
3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground,t and God said to him,t4 “As for me,t thist is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations.5 No longer will your name bet Abram. Instead, your name will be Abrahams because I will make yout the father of a multitude of nations.6 I will make yout extremelyt fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.t7 I will confirmt my covenant as a perpetualt covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you.t

8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residingt – to you and your descendants after you as a permanentt possession. I will be their God.”
9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keept the covenantal requirementt I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep:t Every male among you must be circumcised.s11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a remindert of the covenant between me and you.12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days oldt must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants.13 They must indeed be circumcised,t whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenantt will be visible in your flesh as a permanentt reminder.

14 Any uncircumcised malet who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut offts from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.”t
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai;t Sarahs will be her name.

16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations.t Kings of countriest will come from her!”
17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laugheds as he said to himself,t “Cant a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old?t Can Sarahs bear a child at the age of ninety?”t

18 Abraham said to God, “O thatt Ishmael might live before you!”t
19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac.t I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetualt covenant for his descendants after him.20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you.s I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants.t He will become the father of twelve princes;t I will make him into a great nation.21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”

22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.ts
23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money)t and circumcised themt on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.24 Now Abraham was 99 years oldt when he was circumcised;t25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years oldt when he was circumcised.26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day.

27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Genesis 18

Three Special Visitors

1 The Lord appeared to Abrahamt by the oakst of Mamre whilet he was sitting at the entrancet to his tent during the hottest time of the day.

2 Abrahamt looked upt and sawt three men standing acrosst from him. When he saw themt he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed lowt to the ground.s
3 He said, “My lord,s if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant.t4 Let a little water be brought so thatt you may allt wash your feet and rest under the tree.

5 And let me gett a bit of foodt so that you may refresh yourselvest since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.”t “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Taket three measuress of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.”s7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant,t who quickly prepared it.t

8 Abrahamt then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the foodt before them. They ate whilet he was standing near them under a tree.
9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There,t in the tent.”10 One of themt said, “I will surely returnts to you when the season comes round again,t and your wife Sarah will have a son!”t (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.t11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years;t Sarah had long since passed menopause.)t

12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking,t “After I am worn out will I have pleasure,t especially when my husband is old too?”t
13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Whyt did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I reallyt have a child when I am old?’14 Is anything impossiblet for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”s

15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.”t

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

16 When the men got up to leave,t they looked out overt Sodom. (Nowt Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.)t17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?t18 After all, Abrahamt will surely becomet a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one anothert using his name.

19 I have chosen himt so that he may command his children and his household after him to keept the way of the Lord by doingt what is right and just. Then the Lord will givet to Abraham what he promisedt him.”
20 So the Lord said, “The outcry againstt Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatantt

21 that I must go downts and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests.t If not,s I want to know.”
22 The two men turnedt and headedt toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.s23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked?24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not sparet the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it?

25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judget of the whole earth do what is right?”s

26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lordt (although I am but dust and ashes),t

28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroyt the whole city because five are lacking?”t He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

29 Abrahamt spoke to him again,t “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

30 Then Abrahamt said, “May the Lord not be angryt so that I may speak!t What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abrahamt said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

32 Finally Abrahamt said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

33 The Lord went on his wayt when he had finished speakingt to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home.t