Genesis - The Old Testament

¹ Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no child, but she had an Egyptian slave-girl called Hagar.

² So Sarai said to Abram, 'Listen, now! Since Yahweh has kept me from having children, go to my slave-girl. Perhaps I shall get children through her.' And Abram took Sarai's advice.

³ Thus, after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years, Sarai took Hagar her Egyptian slave-girl and gave her to Abram as his wife.

⁴ He went to Hagar and she conceived. And once she knew she had conceived, her mistress counted for nothing in her eyes.

⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, 'This outrage done to me is your fault! It was I who put my slave-girl into your arms but, now she knows that she has conceived, I count for nothing in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you!'

⁶ 'Very well,' Abram said to Sarai, 'your slave-girl is at your disposal. Treat her as you think fit.' Sarai accordingly treated her so badly that she ran away from her.

⁷ The angel of Yahweh found her by a spring in the desert, the spring on the road to Shur.

⁸ He said, 'Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I am running away from my mistress Sarai,' she replied.

⁹ The angel of Yahweh said to her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.'

¹⁰ The angel of Yahweh further said to her, 'I shall make your descendants too numerous to be counted.'

¹¹ Then the angel of Yahweh said to her: Now, you have conceived and will bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for Yahweh has heard your cries of distress.

¹² A wild donkey of a man he will be, his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him, living his life in defiance of all his kinsmen.

¹³ Hagar gave a name to Yahweh who had spoken to her, 'You are El Roi,' by which she meant, 'Did I not go on seeing here, after him who sees me?'

¹⁴ This is why the well is called the well of Lahai Roi; it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave his son borne by Hagar the name Ishmael.

¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.